Barbara Ann Bell Pickett, 71, of South Bristol, passed away on April 16 at her home.
Barbara was born on Jan. 27, 1940, in New Rochelle, N.Y. to Walter and Florence Bell. She graduated from New Rochelle High School and studied at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Penn. She married Richard Pickett in 1961 and after his graduation from MIT they moved to California, where they raised their two sons, Richard Montgomery and William Walter.
She became a teacher, and subsequently studied law at Loyola University in Los Angeles, Cal. Her husband, Dick, passed away in September 1976, and Barbara and her two sons moved back to her home state of New York, where she became a lawyer at the age of 38. She lived in the town of North Salem, Westchester County and practiced law for 25 years. There, she met Eileen Wojcieszak, her lifelong friend.
In her later years, she retired and moved to Maine, settling in the town of South Bristol, which she loved with all her heart. Barbara was devoted to her family and has left her children and grandchildren with many beautiful memories and a lifetime of sage advice. Her many friends there meant much to her, especially the bridge tenders and her handy-men and women.
She was an avid reader, a profound thinker and a voice of reason for those who sought her counsel. Her tenacity, dedication and thoughtfulness served as an example to many and will continue to inspire those whom she touched. She happily spent her final years with her dog, Lulu, contemplating the beauty of her surroundings, viewed from her house on the Gut. She loved to watch the rising and falling tides, the setting sun, the phases of the moon and the changing of the seasons, and of course, her fondness for a glass of red wine.
Barbara is survived by her sons, Richard and William Pickett; grandchildren, Cooper, Calvin and Emma Pickett; father, Walter Bell; brother, Richard Bell; sisters, Joan Bell Arons and Wendy Bell Wanninger; brothers-in-law, John L. Arons, Howard Bashant and Robert Wanninger; sister-in-law, Monica Bell; nephews, David and Robert Arons and Scott Hommel; nieces, Jessica Bell Sullivan, Aimee Hommel and Jill DeAnzeris; as well as several grand nieces and nephews.
Memorial event will be held in August at a date yet to be determined.
Condolences, and messages for the family, may be expressed by visiting www.StrongHancock.com or sent directly to the family: Richard Pickett, 16 Hart Ave., Yonkers, NY 10704 or to williebahia@gmail.com.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.