Barbara Broderick

On the morning of August 25, 2022, Barbara M. Broderick (96) of Peterborough, New Hampshire passed away peacefully with family at her side.  She was born in Flushing, New York to Carroll and Catherine McLaughlin.

Barbara married James J. Broderick in June 1949 after meeting in front of the Hanover Inn for a date arranged by her Aunt and his Mother.  She was devoted to Dartmouth College and was welcomed by the Class of ’45.

After living in homes in Massachusetts and Connecticut, they settled in Easton, Connecticut where they raised their six children.  Barbara lived in the same home for 61 years before moving to New Hampshire where she was warmly welcomed into the retirement community at Scott-Farrar of Peterborough.

She was an incredible example of strength, family, and grace.  Christmas Eve in Easton was a family favorite holiday with the home filled with multiple generations.  The highlight of the holiday was the annual neighborhood carol sing.

The happiest summers of Barbara’s childhood were spent at Camp Farwell in Vermont.  As an adult, Barbara enjoyed travel with the Easton Senior Center, year-round tennis and she became an avid gardener.  Her yard showed her talents learned as a lifetime member of the Easton Garden Club.   She was a steadfast volunteer with many civic, educational, and religious organizations in Fairfield County.

For years, her home was the gathering place for extended family on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Between purchasing Christmas trees in town and dinner, there would be football games in the yard.  One year the suggestion was to pick which team to play for "New York" or "New England".  For many, it became a choice between where they were born vs where they choose to live.  Mom was solidly New England (and a big TB12 fan).

A cousin once said "she may have been born in New York, but she's a real Yankee", a term of endearment and pride.  To this day, her children aren't sure which type of sin it is to buy a bag of ice when you could make your own at home.  It's just not done.

Making the best use of her extended life gave her time to consider what was to come.  When asked what she might like included in her obituary, she said "tell them she was a good mother".  We understood the assignment.

She was predeceased by her husband Jim and son-in-law Bill Stokes, her beloved siblings, Nancy, Carol, and Bob, and is survived by her children, Jim and Marie Broderick, Ann and Jack Nieskens, Peggy Stokes, Casey and Bill Levene, John and Jeanmarie Broderick, and Jane and Rick Hergt, 10 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren as well as 13 nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Scott-Farrar at Peterborough for their kind and compassionate care.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday, September 7, 2022 10:30 a.m. at Notre Dame of Easton, 655 Morehouse Road, Easton.  Interment will follow in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield.  Friends may call Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield.

In lieu of flowers, if you’d like to donate in Barbara’s memory, please consider The Thomas Merton Center https://www.themertoncenter.org or the Scott-Farrar of Peterborough Staff Appreciation Fund, 11 Elm Street, Peterborough, NH  03458.