After nearly 99 and a half years of an incredibly full, rich and varied life, we sadly announce that our mother, grandmother, aunt, friend and mentor, Barbara Baker of Shelburne, Vt, has passed away.
We would probably use up all the internet space that exists by listing all of her accomplishments, hobbies and general points of interest about her that made her an absolute true one-of-a-kind. But let’s try. Life began for her on May 3, 1927, in Chicago. Soon after, her family moved to Ridgewood, N.J., where she spent her childhood years. Her father then made the brilliant decision to follow some relatives to Charlotte, Vt., where he instantly recognized the unparalleled beauty of the area. They built some of the original summer cottages on North Shore Road (Thompson’s Point), where she and generations to follow spent the warmer months starting in the 1930s and which remained one of her favorite places anywhere until the end. The love of the area was so encompassing that after some years in Baldwinsville and Albany, N.Y., she and her husband, Richard Jensen, moved to Charlotte full time on Greenbush Road in the 1960s.
Her thirst for knowledge led to the beginning of a lifetime of learning. After high school she earned her first degree from Smith College in math, unusual for a woman in the 1940s. Then, throughout her life she took many classes from the University of Vermont and Champlain and earned another degree (accounting) from Trinity College in Burlington.
She and Richard owned and operated Colonial Distributors, starting with its flagship store on St. Paul Street in Burlington, then growing to three other locations in Barre, Rutland and Plattsburgh, N.Y. A true family was developed within this business, with many employees making a career out of working there. Sadly, after over 20 years, it came to an end. Between a brutal recession in the ’80s and her divorce, it was time to move on to other endeavors. She spent another almost 40 years working as an accountant for Vermont Legal Aid, the Winooski Park District and her son Karl’s business.
Barb was a true original. To her kids, it was as if she invented organic foods. It felt like no one else in the ’70s had even heard of that term, but somehow, from some place, she’d bring home the food that only our family ever seemed to eat. She subscribed to Organic Gardening magazine. Who else did that? We were eating whole-wheat everything, brown rice, brewer’s yeast, unidentifiable grains for breakfast. The kitchen counters were full of jars of homegrown sprouts, homemade yogurt, even a couple of weeds from the lawn waiting to be worked into our dinner. True story. Meanwhile our friends were all eating bologna sandwiches on white bread with cookies for lunch. The nitrate-preservative-additive-free foods seemed like they came from another universe. An unwelcome one at that. Her idea of a “cheat” food would be honey. We thought perhaps she also invented vitamins. Only our family seemed to take them. All of this, along with her huge vegetable gardens, made for a refrigerator and cupboards seemingly designed to make sure none of us ever overate. It worked. A footnote to Mom — it also worked that now all of your kids eat this way, too. You did it. You were in the vanguard of what is now common, everyday behavior.
We’ve just scratched the surface of her. Hobbies and fitness of course were important, starting with tennis at her summer camp as well as Twin Oaks in the winter. Jogging, skiing (both downhill and cross-country), waking up each morning to her doing the Jane Fonda workouts. In other pursuits she was the consummate outdoorswoman, an avid environmentalist who in any weather would be out on a nature trail, a mountain, a bog, a lake, a field, all in pursuit of something she hadn’t yet seen. She kept a lifelong bird list, documenting every new bird she saw, with its precise location and date. She did this with trees, leaves, mosses — you name it. Often these trips were inside the four corners of Vermont as well as traveling around the U.S. and sometimes out of the country to add to her lists. She was an avid baseball fan, first the Yankees, then the Expos, and spent many nights at the Lake Monster games, with scorecard in hand. Continuing on, she had a great love and appreciation for the arts, in all forms. She was a huge reader; Dickens and Shakespeare were among her favorites and lots of news: the New York Times, the New Yorker and all of the local newspapers. Also, a huge fan of movies, particularly smaller independent films you may not have heard of, and music, including classical, opera, folk, older rock such as Simon & Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot and Bob Dylan. She also played the cello in a small orchestra. Multiple trips were made to see theater on Broadway and nearly every theater in Vermont many times over. In later years, mah-jongg, canasta and bridge were weekly groups she was a part of.
It should be noted that many, many of these trips and events were done with her sister and best friend, Jinny McLoughlin.
Things changed for Barbara at age 94 with a series of falls and broken hips, as well as congestive heart failure that was manageable but did limit things for her. It was decided she could no longer live alone. Her fervent wish was that she be able to live out her remaining years in her home in Shelburne, no nursing homes, no hospitals. Barbara’s three sons, Lee, Eric and Karl, made this possible by taking turns moving in with her for the past five years. Being her caregiver was a life-changing experience for all of us. Mom’s life became our life. The sacrifices that not only we made but also our spouses, partners and kids made would be hard to overstate. This was an act of love like no other. We are very proud that we were able to keep this promise for her; up until her last minute she was at home. Her final days were quiet and peaceful. Barb up until the end maintained the positive energy that sustained her throughout her life and carried her to 99. If she were reading this, she’d insist we had her age wrong; she refused to believe she was as old as she was. On her 99th birthday she insisted she was only 25. Yes, even if that meant her kids were older than she was.
Right now it’s hard to imagine life without her; she was such a huge part of it. The hope is that someday the wonderful memories of her will overtake the current sadness.
She is survived by her three sons; Lee (wife Yvonne, children Alexandra and Victoria) , Eric (partner Lani, children Heather and Corey) and Karl (wife Lori, children Chloe and Holden); and daughter, Kim. She also had six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sister, Jinny; her former husband, Richard; and her parents, Lester and Dorothy.
There will be two celebrations of her life (she needs at least that many), on Sunday, November 1, 2026, 1 to 4 p.m., at the Charlotte Senior Center and another at a date to be announced next summer at her beloved Charlotte camp.
If you wish to make a contribution in her name, any Vermont environmental group would thrill her, as would a host of other causes dear to her: Planned Parenthood, COTS or a local food shelf.
So, this is where the love letter to Barbara ends. You won’t find a more accomplished, smarter, feisty, more interesting person anywhere. We hope if you never got the chance to meet her you feel like you know her a little bit better now.