Barbara J. Pope

NORTHFIELD - Barbara Joan (Stott) Pope passed away at her home on Vine Street in Northfield, Vermont, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, with family at her side, following a near-three-year struggle with pancreatic cancer.
Mom was born on May 4, 1938, to Leona (Mildred) (Currier) and Ronald A. Stott in Island Pond, Vermont, and graduated from Brighton High School in June 1955. She then graduated from the Auburn Maine School of Commerce and began her teaching career in Rangeley, Maine, moving to Windham High School and then returning to Vermont, where she taught at Waitsfield High School and was a member of the first faculty of Harwood Union High School.
During this time, Mom met Dad, William Pope, and they married in Waterbury, Vermont, on June 20, 1966. A year later, they moved to Northfield, Vermont, where both began teaching at Northfield High School. She went on to teach at U-32 and Randolph Career Technical Center, from which she retired in 1997. Mom held high expectations for her students, many of whom stayed in touch with her throughout their adult lives. This gave her great pleasure, as she was proud of each of her students' accomplishments. Mom also spent some time working in the treasurer's office at Norwich University and as a clerk at Washington County Superior Court, both career changes that she embraced and enjoyed.
In addition to her teaching, Mom enjoyed engaging in her community through various organizations. She was an officer and member of the teaching sorority, Alpha Delta Kappa; the Northfield Historical Society; Good Beginnings of Central Vermont; Ladies' Home Dem; the Northfield Ladies Reading Circle; and the Brown Public Library Board of Directors. She was also a member of the United Church of Christ, Northfield.
In her spare time, Mom loved to read, read, read to herself and then her children and grandchildren, fostering a lifelong love of books for many of them; and she was still reading in her last few days. She also enjoyed various crafting endeavors over the years, playing cards at camp and then on Central Street, spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Christmas. She especially loved the trips to Alaska, Canada, Central America, Eastern Europe and within the United States, that she took with Dad. When they returned from a trip, they spent hours meticulously creating scrapbooks to document the latest adventure. Some of her biggest smiles are seen in those photos.
Mom is survived by her four children and their spouses, Beth (Mrs. Greg) Lemnah, Lyndon Center, Vermont, Stacey (Mrs. David) Whaley, Northfield, Vermont, Kelsey (Mrs. Jason) Bussiere, Port St. Lucie, Florida, and David Pope (Jennifer Rawlings), Limington, Maine; and her grandchildren, Greer and Robert Lemnah, Billy and Sarah Whaley, Alex, Jesse and Cameron Bussiere, and Xochitl and Iona Pope; and two great-grandchildren, Isabella Lee and Liam Colbert Bussiere. She is also survived by cousin Richard Berry and his wife, Gloria, of Bridgton, Maine; as well as several other nieces and nephews and extended family in the U.S. and Canada. Mom was predeceased by her parents and her husband.
Calling hours will be from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, at the Kingston Funeral Home, 35 Slate Ave., Northfield, Vermont. A private burial will be held in the spring. Rather than flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to either the Brown Public Library, 93 South Main St., Northfield, VT 05663; or Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641.
We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who had a hand in supporting Mom through her hard-fought journey. She never wavered in her desire to face each challenge, and through her example, we truly learned what she was made of. She never complained and never gave up. Her strong spirit was supported by her dear friends Judy Jarvis and Carol Corneille, as well as the professional staff of Woodbridge and Mayo Rehabilitation Centers; Central Vermont Medical Center; Val, Jennie, Carol and Jessica of Visiting Angels; and most especially, Natalie and Dave of Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, who comforted us, as well as Mom.