Barbara Ford

Barbara M. Ford, 69, of Franconia, NH passed away peacefully on May 17th, 2023 at home in

Franconia, NH surrounded by immediate family after a battle with Progressive Supranuclear

Palsy. She was born in New York, NY in 1954, to the late Kenneth and Edna (Thomas)

MacGregor. She was raised in East Meadow, NY and graduated from East Meadow High

School in 1972. She went on to study nursing at the University of Rhode Island, graduating with

honors in 1976.

After college, Barbara was drawn to the north country of New Hampshire to ski and hike with

her sister, Nancy, and took a nursing position at Littleton Hospital. She later joined the practice

of Dr. Charles Wolcott, who sponsored her to gain a degree as an Advanced Practice

Registered Nurse in Syracuse, NY in 1980. She became certified by the American Nursing

Association, the gold standard for the nursing profession in an advanced role. Barbara returned

as a pioneer at this "new" job in the North Country, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps. Her

last nursing role was with Ammonoosuc Community Health Services at their Alpine Clinic facility

in Franconia, NH. She retired in 2019, capping off a stellar career, leaving scores of devoted

patients wishing her well.

Barbara loved the outdoors, and enjoyed gardening, hiking, biking, tennis, alpine and

cross-country skiing. She was an active volunteer in the local community, which included joining

her future husband as an EMT for the Franconia Life Squad. She sang with several local chorus

groups, supported the North Country Chamber Players and enjoyed taking ballroom dance

lessons with her husband off and on for many years.

She married Michael Ford in 1989, and they have two daughters, Andrea and Kelsey. Barbara

could be found in the crowd or on the sidelines of every performance, sporting event, and

community activity supporting her daughters, through college and beyond. She taught them

from a very young age how to bake with skill and care scores of holiday cookies, which were

distributed to weekend shoppers at Franconia Hardware.

Barbara leaves her loving husband and devoted caregiver, Michael Ford, daughters Andrea

(Nathan) Simeon of Salem, NH, and Kelsey (Adam) Roy of Dover, NH, granddaughter Remi

Simeon, sister Nancy (Will) DeCourcey of Jefferson, NH and many nieces, nephews, and

extended family.

Barbara was a devoted wife and wonderful mother, grandmother, and incredible healthcare

provider. She will be remembered for being a loving sister, aunt, cousin, and friend. A

celebration of life for Barbara will be held July 1st, 2023, at The Sunset Hill House in Sugar Hill,

NH at 12:00pm. In lieu of flowers, we are collecting photos and written memories from those

who would like to share. Donations may be made to Ammonoosuc Community Health Services,

Copper Cannon Camp, or Adaptive Sports Partners.

To view Barbara's Online Tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit https://phaneuf.net/.