ROCHESTER - Barbara Lorraine (Lord) Smith went home to Jesus on Saturday, May 18, 2025, in New Durham, New Hampshire, at the age of 92.
Born on August 25, 1932, in Queens, New York, Barbara was the eldest child of George Templeton, Sr. and Isabelle Ferhald (Hibbard) Lord. She was the loving sister of George Jr. (deceased), her twin Carole (deceased), and her surviving sisters Jacquelyn (91) Alabama, Susan (89) Texas and Marilynn (88) Louisiana. She graduated from Berwick Academy in Berwick, Maine in 1950.
Barbara married the love of her life, Richard M. Smith, Sr., in Everett, Massachusetts on March 13,1954, and they shared 67 years of devoted marriage until Richard's passing in 2021. His death marked the loss of her greatest companion.
A devoted mother to 11 children--9 boys and 2 girls--Barbara often joked that she had her own "starting 9 for the Red Sox." Her love for the Boston Red Sox was only rivaled by her love for family. She had a passion for crocheting and an even greater one for gathering loved ones around the dinner table. Hospitality was in her nature--if you visited Barbara, you were sure to be asked if you were hungry, and she'd be up preparing something for you before you could answer.
Barbara's life was marked by strength, sweetness, and unwavering faith. She experienced history firsthand, having been in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She also endured unimaginable loss, having outlived five of her children: Donald (10), Stephen (25), Deborah (48), Sherri (58), and David (70).
She is survived by her children: Timothy and his partner Gloria Rochester NH, Kenny and his wife Kim Billerica MA, Douglas and his wife Nancy New Durham NH, Richard Jr. and his wife Judi Rochester NH, Brian and his wife Marilyn Nashua NH, and Gary and his wife Laura Dover NH, She also leaves behind 15 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren, all of whom were a source of immense pride and joy.