Barbara N. Kahrman

Barbara Niles (Sweet) Kahrman, 99, passed away peacefully on May 4, 2018, in Heritage Hall, Agawam.  Born August 19, 1918, in Waltham, MA, she was the daughter of the late Sidney and Ruth Sweet.  A long-time resident of West Springfield, she grew up in the Sweet-Colton home on Kings Highway.  Barbara also lived for many years in Margate, FL, and East Longmeadow, MA.  Barbara was a gifted artist, skilled at painting, illustration, sewing, carving, and furniture refinishing. She was a born naturalist, had a green thumb, and her family enjoyed the vegetables, fruits, and flowers in her gardens.  Barbara loved animals and volunteered in animal rescue for Audubon.  She also loved bird watching, and her yard in Margate, FL, was designated a wildlife sanctuary.  Barbara and her husband, Donald, were boating enthusiasts who especially enjoyed Niantic, Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island, Nantucket, and Mystic, where Barbara created beautiful sketches. Barbara was an avid reader and enjoyed  poetry, especially the work of Robert Louis Stevenson and James Whitcomb Riley, whose verses she could recite from memory well into her 90s.  She attended West Springfield Public Schools and in 1937 graduated from Northfield School for Girls, from which her mother graduated in 1918. She is predeceased by her parents, husband Donald Kahrman, brother Leonard Sweet, sister Ruth Daniels, and son Gary Kahrman.  She leaves her sister Charlotte Pauzé and her husband Jerome of Easthampton; her daughter Virginia and her husband Raymond Keddy of Venice, FL; her son Neil of Saco, ME; and her son Glen and his husband Noel Twilbeck of New Orleans, LA.  Barbara also leaves nine grandchildren, their spouses and partners, fifteen great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, all loved.  Barbara’s creativity, open heart, and positive outlook on life will be deeply missed. The family expresses its deep appreciation to the individuals who cared for Barbara in the later years of her life—friends, family, companions, hospice volunteers, as well as the aides, nurses, and staff at Monastery, West Springfield, and Heritage Hall East, Agawam.  Donations in memory of Barbara can be made to Food For Friends, 2601 Tulane Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119, or the Dakin Humane Society, Springfield, MA. Funeral and services will take place Wednesday, May 9, at Curran-Jones Funeral Home, 109 Main St., West Springfield.  Visiting hours are 10 -11 a.m., followed by an 11:00 memorial service and time of sharing.  Immediately afterwards, burial will take place at the Paucatuck Cemetery, 285 Sibley Ave, West Springfield.  For more details please go to curranjones.com.