My fondest memories of my aunt Barbara (the youngest of Dad’s three sisters) involve a hook, an ocean, and a ball of yarn.

Barbara taught me to crochet back in the late 1960s. I’d learned how to knit (and purl) in Girl Scouts, but there was something about using one crochet hook (rather than two knitting needles) that appealed to me.

Barb taught me how to crochet an afghan blanket.

After that, a poncho. With fringe.

The timing was perfect, as hippies and their groovy clothes were all the rage. There were quite a few ponchos in my closet throughout high school.

My aunt Barbara had a soft way about her. She was patient and never gave up as I struggled to master the crochet hook (have I mentioned I’m left-handed?).

We’d meet up every summer in Ogunquit, Maine, for a week or two as three generations of our family vacationed on the beach. There was a needlework shop within walking distance of our apartments and Barbara would treat me to a skein or two of colorful yarn.

Born in 1936, Barbara was a native New Yorker (Utica, that is). She spent most of her life in Lowell, though, and so had a Boston accent.

“Mutha! Fatha! It’s nearly time for suppa!”

Intelligent, Barbara worked hard in school. She was even written up in the Lowell newspaper when she placed in a state-wide writing contest.

Barbara’s essay topic, “The Founding and Growth of the Sisters of Mercy,” gave more than a hint about her interest in joining a religious order.

She didn’t join the Sisters of Mercy, though, but the Sisters of St. Francis. That’s Barbara, bottom left in these Boston Globe photos, age 20, leaving for the Mother House in New York. The second picture shows her, in the same position, returning two years later as Sister Lawrence Peter.

Barbara, Sister Lawrence Peter Fri, Aug 29, 1958 – 7 · The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) · Newspapers.com

Starting in 1958, Sister Lawrence Peter taught in a school for underprivileged children in Florida.

Sadly, health problems crept up and Barbara left the order and returned home. She lived with her parents and sister Janet for most of the rest of her days.

Barbara didn’t give up her faith, though. She was active at St. Joseph’s Lithuanian Church, often teaching children’s classes as they prepared to receive the sacraments. She also led the children’s choir.

This evening of March 26, Barbara left us for her heavenly reward. Knowing her ailments are behind her is a comfort.

Kind health-care workers were with Barbara as she left this life. We thank them for being there for us as the pandemic prevented travel to be with her.

May she Rest In Peace.

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