Loved the ocean and playing the piano
WAKEFIELD — Barbara J. Spurr, 86, of Wakefield, died on Sunday, March 13 surrounded by her family.
Born in Medford, on August 23, 1935, she was the daughter of the late Joseph Judd Wyand and Helen (Mitchell) Wyand of Winchester.
Mrs. Spurr was raised in Medford and attended two years of college at Colby College in Lewiston, Maine before transferring to Tufts University in Medford to study early childhood education at the Elliot Pearson School. Following her education, she worked as an elementary school teacher in Concord before starting her family.
She was the wife of the late Edward (Buck) Spurr and is survived by her two children: Sandra (Spurr) de Novellis (Harrison, New York) and her husband Cesare, as well as David Spurr and his wife Laurie (Quinzio) Spurr. (Wakefield) She is also survived by five grandchildren: Jonathan Spurr, Andrew Spurr, Matthew Spurr, Alessandro de Novellis, and Luca de Novellis.
Barbara had been a Wakefield resident since 1957 and lived in the same house on the West Side most of her adult life. She thoroughly enjoyed her teaching career and worked in several school districts such as Lynnfield and later at Winn Brook School in Belmont where she retired at the age of 65 after 20 years in the Belmont public school system.
Barbara loved the ocean, beach and exploring islands; she often reminisced about her years waitressing at the “Chanticleer Restaurant” in Sconset Village on Nantucket Island and spending Summers raising her children on Prudence Island, RI off the coast of Newport, on Narragansett Bay.
Barbara loved to play the piano, read music, and later took up playing the Auto Harp as a way of relaxing her young kindergarteners in the classroom.
Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Saturday, November 26 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. followed by a Graveside Service at Wildwood Cemetery, 34 Palmer St., Winchester.
In lieu of flowers, Barbara’s wishes were to make contributions to the charity of one’s choice.
