Barbara Peabody

1933 - 2025

Barbara Peabody (March 3, 1933 – June 17, 2025), a vibrant artist, author, and advocate, died at 92 surrounded by her loving family. A Smith College graduate, she raised five children and lived across the U.S. and abroad. Her art career flourished in Santa Fe, Tucson, and Mexico. She showed her art in galleries and exhibitions across the Southwest and had multiple one-woman shows in Mexico. When her son Peter was diagnosed with AIDS, Barbara became a fierce caregiver and passionate AIDS organizer, co-founding Mothers of AIDS Patients (MAP) and wrote the acclaimed "The Screaming Room: A Mother's Journal of Her Son's Struggle with AIDS". She continued to educate medical professionals and the public on the reality of caring for those with HIV/AIDS. Barbara loved laughing with family and friends, thrift store shopping ("never pay retail"), writing poetry and short stories, painting everything in her home with bright, colorful patterns (her family often joked that if you stood still too long in Barbara's house, you might end up painted too), and watching her "late night boys" (Jimmy, Jimmy, Seth, and Stephen's late night shows). She is remembered for her love of color, creativity, feistiness, compassion, and enduring love for family and friends.

A memorial service will be held November 1, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at the Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch, 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol Road in Tucson.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Southwest Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF.org).

For Barbara's full obituary, please go to: https://www.carrillostucsonmortuary.com/obituary/barbara-peabody.