Barbara J. Warner died on Dec. 19, 2023 at the age of 81. After a brief stay in Port Saint Lucie Hospital, a heart attack ended her life. The joyfulness in which she lived her life will forever be remembered.
Although Barbara was born in Florida, Maine was her home since she arrived in Bristol Mills in 1964, with her then-husband Barry Warner. They started a business and raised their son, Jonathon Warner, in a centuries old maze of a house in the heart of the village. Barbara later relocated to Damariscotta Mills, where she and her husband, Charlie Morse, found great happiness with friends, family, and the whole community that enjoyed the swimming hole that she had brought her own child to swim in many summers ago.
Always full of energy and quick to smile, Barbara was a familiar face in the community. She started a co-op with friends to sell local crafts; taught dance classes and brought performers to the area; and managed the office at J.B.B. motorcycle shop in town. She was a poll worker at the Bristol town hall and involved with the church for decades. In the 1970s, she helped found the Midcoast chapter of NOW (National Organization for Women) and was a leader in the Lincoln County Democratic Delegation. She hosted fundraisers at her home for Sen. George Mitchell and was invited to meet President Jimmy Carter in the White House to recognize her efforts. Later in life, she practiced massage, healing, and prayer, because she felt called to give of herself to ease the pain of others. In last few years, she was busy putting the final edits on a book of positive spiritual messages that she received during her daily meditations.
Always humble and kind, Barbara worked every day for positive change and she cared deeply for the well-being of others. She was active and healthy until the last couple days of her time on earth. Dancing was always Barbara’s passion, and like a dancer, she moved through her life with dignity and grace.
The family will have a gathering to celebrate Barbara’s life and lay her ashes to rest this summer with those who knew her. Time and location to be announced.
