Barbara happily overcame a clinical history that predicted little growth and even less achievement. She lived in several group residences, eventually moved to her own apartment with the inseparable other half of ‘THE Barbaras’, and ultimately (again with the ‘other’ Barbara) became part of the Shared Living phenomenon. Here she was embraced as an integral part of the extended family, which that model represents.
When I first came to the North Central Mass Friends, Eunice Matson insisted that “that young lady, Barbara, is what it’s all about”. And considering that she virtually helped pioneer all of our residential models and tried her hand in the vocational world before settling in the Community Based Day Supports (CBDS) milieu for her day supports, she was!
“You know me?” Barbara would ask, “you like me?”, “I miss you”. EVERYONE knew her and I dare say, liked her. We miss her now. I miss swiveling in my desk chair to look across at her program to see her smiling face and waving hand. We go, as they say, ‘way back’ as I was her Program Director when she moved into one of the group residences and later when she graduated to the Transitional Apartment Program. She knew my family – my wife as a staff at the apartment programs, my daughter who worked with her as a vocational instructor and she was around for the birth of my son. They ALL got to ‘know her’ and were shocked to learn of her demise. My daughter remarked “I thought she was someone who would live forever”.
I truly believe that in some way she’s joined the other departed; her family, friends, Eunice Matson. And I say ‘bless you’ Barbara, and, ‘say hi for me’.
We do miss you.