Barbara Pearl McGuffey

1951 - 2026

Barbara Pearl McGuffey, originally from Smithton, died Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in North Carolina. In her 74 years of life, Barb exhibited a quiet determination to overcome any obstacle. She was named after her grandmother Pearl Cochenour (deceased), the only relative to be present for her birth besides her parents. There were, however, a roomful of friends and family who were by her side at her death. She lost her older brother, Kenneth "Mac" McGuffey (deceased), to a drunk driver when he was only six and she was only three. She spent the rest of her life doing everything she could to look out for and love her younger brother, Robert McGuffey (survivor). She earned two master's degrees despite having severe dyslexia. This was at a time when nobody understood dyslexia, and students like Barb, who had difficulty reading, were called "dumb." She suffered discrimination as a woman working in a US Steel plant with 5000 men and no women's restroom for her, the only female. As an HR executive, she made sure the women who followed didn't have the same experience. She grew up in a time when textbooks classified her as "abnormal" and as having a "sociopathic personality disturbance" because of who she loved. She ended up having a 30-year relationship with her partner and eventual spouse, Jen Smith (survivor). She never thought she would ever be able to marry who she loved, so the fact that it couldn't happen until 20 years into their relationship didn't make her bitter. She chose instead to have her experiences make things better for others. One of the reasons Barb was so trusted and loved is because she was always thinking of others. While caring for her mother, Anna Cochenour McGuffey (deceased), who had Alzheimer's, Barb developed breast cancer, whose treatment led to her 20+ year battle with heart failure, kidney disease, and diabetes. Looking back on this time in her life, she didn't have regrets. She was proud that she had been in a clinical trial during her breast cancer treatment that ended up helping researchers understand how to more safely treat other women with the disease, including some of her own cousins. She chose to remember the lighter moments with her mom, like when Anna would walk up to a stranger and inappropriately comment on their body size. She talked about how much of an honor it was to take care of her mom in those final years. She wasn't naive. It was hard, frustrating, and heart-wrenching, but she didn't dwell there. She also didn't dwell on how sometimes she was seen as "other." She instead worked to increase people's understanding and respect for one another. As an HR executive, she helped people understand each other more deeply at all the places she worked (Union Carbide, US Steel, Cummins, Consolidated Diesel, GE, Menasha, Sears Home Improvement, and ABB). Even in tense union negotiations where Barb was representing the company, she earned the respect of the union members for her appreciation of their work and concerns. Having learned from her dad, Kenny McGuffey (deceased), and numerous other family members what hard labor was like and what value a union brought to workers, she was able to reach agreements where others had failed. Typical of Barb, she didn't ruminate on all the obstacles she overcame; rather, she focused on enjoying life by traveling the world, cheering on the Steelers, mowing the grass on her John Deere, going boating, driving down the road in the RV singing along to Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash songs while enjoying some Tootsie Roll pops, and mostly by loving as many animals and people as she could. Her love for animals is legendary. She refused to watch any movie, even animated ones, where an animal was killed; she would not even let Jen kill the copperhead snake in the yard. She rescued every stray animal she encountered and donated financially to many animal rescue organizations so they could rescue the ones she could not. Even as she was facing her own mortality, she had the generosity of spirit to demand that after her death, her pacemaker be removed and given to a veterinary school where they could implant it in a dog. She was never one to seek recognition for her generosity, so she would have been fine if none of the above was ever mentioned. However, she would be angry if it was not mentioned that she is survived by Jolene, the sweet hound dog that she rescued because she was told Jolene too had heart failure but then found out she didn't; Watson, the mischievous tomcat; and Tuxedo, the chill elder statesman cat. Her love of people and people's love of her was even more legendary. It is not an exaggeration to say that everyone who met Barb immediately found her to be kind, empathetic, and generous. For those who got to know her for a longer period of time, everyone, to a person, talks about how much of an impact she had on their life. This includes a long list of friends, cousins, and mentees at work and young people that she helped mold into adults like Ben Cenis, Calla Smith, and Sadie Smith (survivors). Her death will leave a gaping hole in many lives, but as she demonstrated in her life, she wouldn't want us to dwell there; she would want us to do as she did by living our lives while expressing kindness and generosity to others, both animals and people. A celebration of life service will be held at 10:30 on March 14 at Hilltop United Methodist Church at 222 Church Lane, Madison, PA, followed by a lunch at the church hall serving some of Barb's favorite foods. Barb wanted people to come and share funny or touching or even embarrassing stories about her, so please reach out to Jen at jenhfit@hotmail.com if you would like to say/read a few words at the service (looking for stories 1 to 3 minutes long). Instead of flowers, Barb asked that donations be made to Best Friends Pet Adoption in Cary, NC, or to Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh, NC.