Barbara May Burns was born on May 4th, 1917 to Lewis Searle Burns and Mary (May) Harris Burns. She grew up in Medford, MA and was a member of Medford High School’s graduating class of 1935. Barbara chose to attend Jackson College, (the “female” college for the all-male Tufts University) and often told people she chose it because she could run “up the hill” from her family home at 66 Adams Street in Medford. Barbara did not immediately get a teaching job, so she worked for several years at the Medford Public Library after her 1939 graduation from Jackson. Barbara played basketball while attending Jackson and was involved in their history club, among other things.
Barbara got a teaching job in Sharon, MA at the junior high school and moved to Sharon. She spent the school year in Sharon for many years but summered in Gloucester, MA on Merchants Island, on the Annisquam River. During her extensive career, she was both a Social Studies teacher and eventually department head, a position she held until her retirement in 1978. She and her sister Lois, who passed away in 2012 retired early to take care of their mother at the family home in Medford.
Barbara and her sister Lois were very “extended family” oriented and they were, as years went on, the glue that kept several generations of family both in touch and in the know about whatever was going on. Although depression era women, they also enjoyed, as both often said, a wonderful life. They used their summer vacations to travel to many locations that single women didn’t often venture to. Europe in the late 1950’s, a cross country road trip in the same time period, to Alaska when the average east coast person didn’t necessarily head that direction, and around the country to visit both family and friends and attend weddings, bridal showers, funerals and anything else they might have been invited to.
However, their most beloved place for summer was the cottage on “the” Island. Many Searle and Harris family members also spent time there, starting when Barbara was a little girl, and rowing from the mainland to the island, across the river, was the only way to get there. The island lacked plumbing and electricity, but it was still her personal paradise. Swimming, tending to gardens, relaxing, reading, knitting, caning chairs, playing card games, and boat trips were all activities that one might participate in. They were very grateful when their first cousin Virginia’s husband Francis installed the first generator on the island at their cottage!
In retirement, when they reached the point where they accepted the fact that the island was no longer an easily accessible place, they also realized that they needed to downsize their childhood home and find a more suitable place with far less upkeep on their part. Brooksby Village in Peabody, MA seemed to fit the bill; independent living, assisted living, and full assisted care if/when they needed it. They spent many happy years there after designing their apartment and purchasing in the pre-construction phase. They shared many family treasures with family and friends and moved into Brooksby. They took part in trips, enjoyed the dining room, and made numerous friends. As long as they were able, they traveled back on Sundays for services at West Medford Baptist Church, which had played a large role in their family’s spiritual lives.
Due to some health issues, Barbara moved from their independent living apartment to Renaissance/Braeburn on the Brooksby property in early 2012. She slowly declined and lost Lois in May of 2012. After that, Barbara’s health failed as dementia/old age, took its toll on her. Family members visited her as often as possible but she slowly slipped away. She passed in her sleep on April 7th, 2018, just a month shy of her 101st birthday. She left a legacy which will live on in her younger generation family members and friends.