With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Barbara Jean (Comstock) McKinstry, our beloved mother, Grammy and Gigi. She left us peacefully into the arms of the Lord on April 26, 2026, at the age of 87, with family surrounding her at the Converse Home, Gardenview Memory Care, in Burlington, Vt.
She was born in Proctor, Vt., on August 5, 1938, the daughter of Carroll and Hazel (Parker) Comstock. She was as tough as the marble quarry she was raised in and had stories from a bygone era that enriched our lives. She married Irving McKinstry on December 1, 1956, on his three-day leave from the 101st Airborne Division. She dedicated her life, like a strong Vermont woman would, to her years with her husband on two dairy farms in Colchester, Vt., later retiring to Milton, Vt. She loved tending to her vegetable garden while her four children frolicked in the beans. (We knew to stay out of the flowers.) She pickled the best pickles and baked the best pies. She was devoted to being a farmer’s wife and raised us with love, honesty and hard work. She kept us on our toes with her feisty sense of humor, and her practical ways were never in short supply to keep us centered.
We will miss her chocolate chip cookies and cranked ice cream from our Jersey milk; her cooking like no other; the smell of coffee brewing and buttered toast when we woke in the morning; seeing her at the table reading the newspaper, embracing us as we came to hug her; and doing all kinds of puzzles. She made the farm life with Dad (kept him on his toes, too) a beautiful, nurturing place.
For many years she served and was a member of the United Church of Colchester, Vt. Through the years they were lucky to have the very pies mentioned earlier and the potluck dishes we so loved at home.
She was predeceased by her husband of 64 years, Irving “Mac” McKinstry. She is survived by her four children, Kevin McKinstry (Jill), Kelly Fournier (Lance), Lisa Chaffee (Angela) and Lori Heerschap (Richard). She had nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, whom she loved immensely. She did, however, send many muddy farm feet and wet swimsuit-clad grandies out under the hose and wrapped in a towel.
She was born into a family of 10 other siblings — six sisters and four brothers — giving her many nieces and nephews, whom she adored. Stories of them ranged from baseball games, where she was known as “Slugger,” to waiting on the train tracks in Proctor for the circus train.
We hope for her all the books, gardens, pumpkin spice coffee and buttered toast in heaven. Oh, and maybe a small herd of Jersey cows with Papa and Kurt.
We want to deeply thank the Gardenview Memory Care floor at the Converse Home for the dedicated, professional, genuine and loving care they provided.
A Christian burial will be celebrated on June 19, 2026, noon, at Riverside Cemetery in Proctor, Vt., with, weather permitting, a picnic lunch after the service. Please contact her daughters Kelly or Lisa for details if the weather doesn’t cooperate for the picnic outside.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Smiles Fur Miles (kodathefluff.com).
Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To share online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.