Michele T. Barker

Michele T. Barker, 64, passed away on May 4, 2025. Born in Chicopee, MA, on May 16, 1960, she was the daughter of Rhea (Geoffroy) Plourde and the late Joseph A. Plourde Jr. She graduated from the College of Our Lady of the Elms in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History and then studied at the University of Vermont, receiving a masters degree in historic preservation in 1985.
Michele was a gifted writer and a published author. Her first book, A Difficult Boy (2003), a young adult historical novel, won a PEN New England Childrens Book Caucus Discovery Award. The sequel, Mending Horses (2014), was a Bank Street Childrens Book of the Year and was on the Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Young Adults in 2015. Michele was also the author of a pictorial history of Chicopee in the Images of America (1998) series. In addition, she co-authored a history of the Sisters of Providence, 140 Years of Providential Caring (2012).
Michele also enjoyed historical interpretation and research. She was a costumed historical interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village and Storrowton Village and an archivist at the Museum of Springfield History. Michele was an avid gardener and was the Master Gardener at Storrowton Village for many years.
Michele was a member of writers groups and book groups, and her home was often a social gathering place for writers and other creative friends. She was also an accomplished ballroom dancer, and she and her husband, Joe, liked to dance for enjoyment and occasionally performed at benefit functions.
To cherish her memory, Michele leaves her husband, Joseph Barker of East Longmeadow; her mother, Rhea Plourde; her sister, Rosemarie Buxton and her husband, Jeffrey; and her brother, Christopher Plourde; her nieces and nephews, Robert, Catherine, and Benjamin Buxton, and Julia Plourde; as well as many extended family members and friends.
Family and friends are invited to gather on Monday, May 12, 2025 from 10 11 AM at Forastiere Smith Funeral & Cremation, 220 North Main Street, East Longmeadow, followed by a service at 11 AM.
Contributions in Micheles memory may be made to Genesis Spiritual Life & Conference Center, 53 Mill Street, Westfield, MA 01085 or genesisspiritualcenter.org/support/.
Services
Visitation
Monday
May 12, 2025
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Forastiere Smith Funeral & Cremation
220 North Main Street
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Celebration of Life
Monday
May 12, 2025
11:00 AM
Forastiere Smith Funeral & Cremation
220 North Main Street
East Longmeadow, MA 01028