Barbara Coleman

Missing our weekly letters...but always remembering you with joy and gratitude...

Missing you.

I never met Barbara in person, but despite that, we had a long, wonderful, joyful friendship. My Aunt, Charlotte Bliss, was Barbara´s cousin. Both grew up in Rehoboth, MA. Charlotte lived with me until she passed in 2016. I used to send out cards for her, one of which always went to Barbara. For the last 15 years I have written a weekly letter that at first went to my Dad, then to my Uncle, then an Aunt, then to a couple of older people we knew who were shut-ins. Eventually we asked Barbara if she would like the weekly letter. That must have been around 2014 or 2015. Barbara and I wrote to one another once a week from that time on. Barbara supported me through losing Auntie Charlotte, through selling our beloved home, through the building of another house, through the trials and tribulations, and all of the celebrations, of our family and life in general. We shared a love of history and poetry. Barbara taught me so much about growing up in Rehoboth in the early 20th century! She knew all about my new neighborhood (Seekonk, MA) too. She told the best stories and made history come alive. She sent me poems all the time, sometimes not able to remember but a line or two of a favorite poem, so I would get to work researching the lines and find the whole poem to send back to her. For the last few years I visited Bills grave at Swan Point on his birthday. I left flowers and took a photo to send to Barbara. Her stories were rich and deep with beauty and love. Her kindness, intelligence, and generosity bounded through everything she wrote, as did her deep love of family. I am sure, like me, you are all sad just now. But you, even more than me, have a rich and vast treasure trove of memories and the lasting imprint of this amazing and precious person on your heart forever. Thank you for sharing her with me. I will miss our weekly letters and her presence in my life so very much.