Barbara F. Constable

MADISON, Wis. - Barbara F. Constable, 88, passed away peacefully on July 16, 2013, surrounded by her family in Madison.

Barby was known not only for her achievements in the banking and travel industries, but also for the boundless energy and effervescent personality she brought to an array of personal, civic and charitable activities.

Born in Warren, Ohio, on March 18, 1925, Barby spent much of her childhood in Ohio, Michigan and New York. Her post-high school education included a year at the Katharine Gibbs School in New York and a bachelor's degree in engineering from Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. On July 27, 1946, she married William "Bill" Constable. In 1950, they moved to Manchester, N.H., where they lived until she moved to Wisconsin in 2011.

As an officer of the Manchester Savings Bank (now Citizens Bank, N.A.), she pioneered the use of computer applications in the banking industry, ultimately used throughout New England in the 1960s. A second career in the travel industry enabled her to travel to all seven continents. At the age of 80, she fulfilled a lifelong desire to visit Antarctica. Her civic activities began in the 1950s when Barby was president of the Elliott Hospital Junior Associates, followed by more than two decades as a Granite State Ambassador at the visitor centers on Elm Street in Manchester and the Manchester airport. Volunteering at Elliott Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit held a special place in her heart.

Barby was preceded in death by Bill Constable, her husband of 54 years, and is survived by her daughter, Candace "Candee" Craven of Oregon, Wis.; her son, William "Buzz" Constable of Lincoln, Mass.; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Salvation Army, 121 Cedar St., Manchester 03101 or Agrace Hospice Care, 5395 E. Cheryl Pkwy., Madison, WI 53711.

A memorial celebration will be held in Manchester, N.H., at a later date. Thoughts and memories may be shared by email at barbyconstable@gmail.com.