Barbara VanderHey

Barbara VanderHey, 93, of Fort Myers, FL, passed away on May, 22, 2026, exactly 12 weeks after her beloved husband, Rev. Dr. Edward VanderHey, left this earth. It was a well-known feeling among their close family that “one could not live without the other”.

Barbara Mae Speets was born on 2/5/33 in Paterson, NJ, to Fredrick Speets and Nell (Ringers) Speets, both offspring of Dutch immigrants. She grew up in Clifton, NJ, along with her younger brother, Fred. She was always active in her church choir, the youth group, and she taught Sunday School at the Calgary Baptist Church. She met Edward when they were both 15. After graduating from Clifton High School, Barbara attended Montclair State College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in teaching. After marrying Ed just after they both graduated college, they moved to the Philadelphia suburbs where they both worked at a summer camp. Following that, Barbara worked as a high school teacher, while Ed attended seminary. They were happily married for 71 years. They have 5 children, 11 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. Barbara was the ultimate “minister’s wife”, and she relished that role by being involved in various choirs and children’s programs. Nobody was a stranger to Barbara. She had a way of making people feel loved and included. Together, Ed and Barb served in churches in the small communities of Pulaski and Carthage, NY, followed by the First Baptist Church in Syracuse, NY. It was there that Barbara stayed home with 4 young children while her husband flew south to march for civil rights with Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. The year after he was assassinated, Barb and Ed hosted Cornetta Scott King in Syracuse when she put on a “Peace concert”. For years, Barb and Ed received Christmas cards from the King family, with handwritten notes about their children. From Syracuse, the family moved to Fall River, MA, where they both became very involved with a struggling city in the 1970’s, and Ed was the head pastor of The First Baptist Church. Barbara volunteered to drive for FISH, where she would take people with disabilities to medical appointments. She also started a nursery school at the church. In 1978, they moved again to serve at The First Baptist Church of Red Bank, NJ. They stayed there for 20 years, and Barbara was very involved with their church family. She started the Noah’s Ark Nursery school. In 1998, Barb and Ed decided to “retire” and re-locate to Sanibel, FL. Ed took a job at the Sanibel Community Church as an assistant pastor, with Barb supporting him once again. They were both involved with the LOGAS children’s program, as well as many other community outreach organizations like FISH, The Kiwanis Club, and the Rotary Club. They thoroughly enjoyed living on the island, and they started a traveling group where they took “JOY” trips (stands for Just Older Youth). Barb and Ed loved to travel. They were always up for an adventure. They’ve literally been all over the world, and they especially loved cruises. While Barbara loved to see the world and meet people from all over, she also adored her family and loved staying home with them or visiting her children and their families. Whenever a new grandchild was born, she had no problem leaving Ed to go help take care of the baby (and the mother). For every big wedding anniversary, she would plan a big family reunion, complete with custom-made hats and t-shirts. She and Ed organized a “Cousins Camp” for many summers, which included many fun activities, as well as bible lessons and music for all the grandchildren. Barbara was one of the most hospitable people you could ever meet. She never thought twice about inviting strangers for dinner and would often open her home to those who were down and out. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and help others in any way she could. She and Ed went on numerous mission trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

She is pre-deceased by her husband, Edward, her brother, Fred, and her grandson, Eric James Haskins. She is survived by her children Linda Haskins (Brian), Karyn VanderHey (Pete Richardson), James Edward VanderHey (Donna), Sally Martin (Brooks), Dr Nancy Samaha (Christopher); her grandchildren Shawn Haskins (Karen), Tom Wimer (Erin), Paul Smithwood (Madison), Kevin Smithwood (Olivia), Zachary Smithwood, Tyler Martin, Mitchell Martin (Megan), Derek Martin, Matthew Samaha (Brooke), Jillian Samaha; and her great-grandchildren Leah, Riley, and Brian Haskins; Declan and Molly Wimer; and Bexley and Grant Smithwood.

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Springs Community Room at Shell Point in Ft Myers on June 16 at 3pm. There will be a joint memorial service for Barbara and Edward at The Sanibel Community Church in the fall, with the date to be determined.