Barbara D. Wells

Born in Summit, N.J. in 1928, Barbara was educated at Miss Beard’s School and Vassar College.

In 1947, on a trip to Chatham, Barbara – known to many as Bobbie – met and fell in love with Douglas Bateman Wells. They were married on September 9, 1950. Doug’s work at Nestle brought the young family around the world. After welcoming their first three children, Frances, Douglas Jr. and Christopher, Barbara and Doug sailed across the Atlantic for Doug to attend business school in Switzerland. After returning from Switzerland their youngest, Matthew was born. The family lived in New Canaan, Connecticut for about 12 years before moving to New Zealand, South Africa, and then Chicago.

When Doug retired from Nestle in 1980, Barbara and Doug moved to Chatham full-time. Chatham has been Barbara’s home for the last 45 years. In Chatham, she worked with the Rocking Unicorn Nursery School and at Yellow Umbrella Books, surrounding herself with two of her life’s loves – children and books.

Barbara had a magical ability to gather people around her. Many were family or second family. All were friends. And all were showered with her love and kindness.

Barbara had a beautiful voice and loved to sing her whole life. During her days at Vassar College, she was a member of the Glee Club. In Chatham, Barbara was a member of the Chatham Chorale for over 40 years, where she sang in over 100 concerts. Barbara sang with Holy Redeemer Church’s Choir from its very founding in 1988 until she finally stepped down in 2022. Barbara was also a longtime supporter of the Monomoy Theater, both serving as a Friends Board Member and singing in productions of “The Music Man” and “The Sound of Music.” Barbara shared music and song through all of her life.

Barbara was a voracious reader and loved to share and talk about books and the worlds they contained. She was an originating member of the Chatham book group in 1984, a group which lives on today. Even in her last days, Barbara continued to talk with family about books and stories she had loved.

Barbara had a great love for the natural world. She loved learning about and observing the world around her. She enjoyed watching the deer, coyotes, and birds in her own backyard, the turtles in the marshes in Wellfleet, and creatures great and small throughout all of her travels. She also had a life-long love of sailing, bringing her into the natural world. She raced with friends, crewed for Doug, and was a 50-year member of the Stage Harbor Yacht Club.

Barbara is survived by her beloved four children and six grandchildren, Fran of Chatham, MA, Doug Jr. of Seattle, WA, his children Amelia and Caroline, and their mother Trina Wellman, Chris and his wife Julie Nix of New York, NY, their children Malcolm and Roxanne, and Matthew and his wife Marianne Wells of Seattle, and their children Emma and Eliza. She is predeceased by her sister and brother, Frances Nation and Heroy Maxwell Dyckman Jr., and by her beloved husband of 58 years, Doug.

Her memorial visitation will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025 from 9:30am to 10:30am in the Nickerson Funeral Home, 87 Crowell Road, Chatham, MA followed by her Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Church, 57 Highland Ave, Chatham..

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Chatham Chorale, https://chathamchorale.org or PO Box 1111, West Dennis, MA 02670.

The family will be forever grateful for the incredible care provided to Barbara by Liberty Commons Nursing Home and Broad Reach hospice.