July 6, 1940 - April 17, 2026
Barbara (Brooks) Lawrence, 85 of Londonderry, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 17, 2026 at The Orchard Inn at the Baldwin Senior Living where she resided. She was the widow of the late David M. Lawrence with whom she shared nearly 46 years together before he passed away in 2010.
Born July 6, 1940 in Lowell, she was a daughter of the late James T. Brooks, Sr. and the late Mary Jane (Gargan) Brooks. She was raised in Chelmsford, where she attended the area schools before earning her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
For over 40 years, Barbara worked for the Department of the Air Force as a contract negotiator in procurement at Hanscom Air Force Base, until her retirement. She was a communicant of St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Andover, where she was also married.
She loved cats, reading, and a good cup of tea. She also enjoyed working the polls in Lowell and Billerica, as well as gardening and tending to her bird feeders. She was very smart, bright, and funny, with a wonderful sense of humor. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects, was truly her own person, and was known for her many unexpected turns of phrase.
Her survivors include her son, Brooks Matthew Lawrence and his husband, Matthew Robert Miceli of Philadelphia, her sister, Mary Jane Pearson of Fairfield, VA; and her nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, the late James Thomas Brooks, Jr.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to the Lowell Humane Society, 951 Broadway Street, Lowell, MA 01854 or online at: https://www.lowellhumanesociety.org/donate/
On Thursday, April 23, 2026 all are welcome to attend her calling hours from 4-7 p.m. at McDonough Funeral Home, 14 Highland Street, Lowell 978-458-6816.
Her funeral will begin on Friday morning at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by her funeral mass at 11 a.m. at St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 198 Haggetts Pond Rd, Andover, MA. Burial at St. Patrick Cemetery in Lowell.