Elaine Barrett

Elaine Barrett
Elaine Barrett, 94, of Sherman died after a brief illness on April 11 with her two children, David Barrett and Stephen Barrett, at her side. She was born on November 10, 1930 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania to Florence and Arthur Jones. After graduating from Simmons College in 1952, she moved to New York City and earned a graduate degree at Columbia University.
While working for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, she met her future husband, Martin Barrett. They raised their sons in Chappaqua, New York, where Elaine became an active member of the community as a member of the PTA and fixture on the courts at the Chappaqua Swim & Tennis Club. She later resumed her career, first as a copy editor and proofreader for the local newspaper and then as a legal librarian at the telecommunications firm NYNEX, a predecessor to Verizon.
Elaine and her husband moved to Sherman in 2001 after their retirement and found themselves at home amidst its bucolic setting. Her backyard was an oasis for songbirds, squirrels, and chipmunks, along with foxes and the occasional black bear. She hosted her young grandchildren at the beach on Candlewood Lake and participated in activities at the Roxbury Senior Center, the Sherman Senior Center and the JCC in Sherman. She also found a new community of tennis players and remained an active doubles partner well into her 80s, until she felt that she had lost a step at the net.
Elaine traveled extensively in keeping with her curiosity about the world, making memorable trips to France, Japan, Hong Kong, and Scandinavia before raising a family. After her children were grown, she resumed her journeys, joining her husband on a Nile River cruise and several African safaris and visiting Australia and New Zealand. As a widow, she finally made it to Casablanca, the setting of her favorite movie, before revisiting her ancestral Scandinavia along with her sister and nieces, whose company she always cherished. She eagerly joined them on outings around New England and on winter visits to her nephew's family in Florida.
Though modest about her accomplishments and adventures, Elaine was an inspiration to her friends and adored by her family, who relied on her loving kindness and comforting wisdom, her unwavering support and boundless generosity.
She is predeceased by her husband, Martin Barrett. Along with her sons, she leaves her daughter-in-law Briar McNutt, her grandchildren Dashiell and Daphne Barrett, her sister Florence Barker, her nephew Wayne Barker and his wife Brigid, her nieces, Leslie Pickup and Linnea May, their spouses Scott Pickup and Bryce May, and her many grandnephews and grandnieces, whose laughter brought her endless joy.
A celebration of Elaine Barrett's life has been scheduled for Sunday, May 25 at the JCC in Sherman. Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford has care of Elaine.