Barbara F. STOCK

STOCK, Barbara F. Pioneering Educator Formerly of Needham, MA, died peacefully on Saturday, February 21, 2026, age 94. Barbara was born in Minneapolis, MN, on January 24, 1932, the daughter of the late Harold B. and Ruth McNicol Finch. Barbara graduated summa cum laude from Northrop Collegiate School in 1949 and as a

member of Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College in 1953. Barbara married Arthur J. Stock on August 26, 1953, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis and moved to New Haven, CT, where Arthur completed his BA and ROTC training and Barbara received an MA in English, both from Yale University. After graduation, they traveled to the U.S. army base in Munich, Germany, where James H. Stock of Lincoln, MA, was born in 1955. They returned to New Haven while Arthur attended Yale Law School and in 1958, welcomed a daughter, Catherine Stock Lefeber of Branford, CT. Beginning in 1963, Barbara taught English at her alma mater, Northrop Collegiate School. In 1971, she became Northrop's Principal (headmistress), the last ever to serve the school. From 1971-1974, Barbara guided the all-girls Northrop School through the complex merger with the all-boys Blake School. Fully embracing coeducation, she nevertheless vowed to safeguard Northrop's culture of support for girls and its historic building. In 1974, Barbara was named Head of the Upper School of the Blake School, a position only one other woman in the U.S. held at an independent co-educational secondary school. Two years later, she became Vice President and then interim President. Former faculty and students would attest that "Mrs. Stock" was the first woman leader they had ever known. In 1984, Barbara took a new position at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). As Executive Vice President, she worked in the Boston and Washington, D.C. offices until 1996. Finally, Barbara served as interim head of the upper school at Breck School and in a variety of administrative roles at the Dana Hall School. In 2011, Barbara and Arthur moved to the North Hill Retirement Community in Needham, MA. They remained leaders of the congregation at the Wellesley Village Church. Barbara's greatest act was to cherish, guide, and inspire her five grandchildren. Each carries with them not only her wise counsel, but also her intelligence, stamina,

and enthusiasm. Whether it is through her gift for teaching, public speaking or leading an organization, her love of music, books, sports, pine forests and all things winter or the courage she mustered to meet challenges undaunted, each grandchild will carry Barbara forward well beyond the precious years they shared. Barbara is survived by her children, James H. Stock (Anne Doyle) and Catherine Stock Lefeber (Peter); her grandchildren, Peter McNicol Lefeber (Katherine), Sarah Lefeber Hempleman (Carter), Christopher Hopkins Stock, John Finch Lefeber (Adrienne) and Corey Doyle Stock; and her great-grandchildren, Peter John Lefeber, Adelyn Finch Hempleman, Emily Grace Lefeber, Isabel McNicol Hempleman, Charlotte Elizabeth Lefeber, Zeke Graham Hempleman, and Casey Josephine Lefeber. She was predeceased by her husband, Arthur J. Stock; her brother, Harold B. Finch, Jr.; and her niece, Martha Finch. A Service of Remembrance will be held at Wellesley Village Church, in Wellesley, MA, on Saturday, May 9, at 3 pm. The Service will also be live-streamed on the church's website. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Vassar College, Westminster Presbyterian or Wellesley Village Church. The family will never forget the loving care our mother received from staff and companions at North Hill and the Carriage House of Wayland at the end of her long and remarkable life.