Shirley Ann Barbera

Shirley Barbera, 90, died on September 8, 2025 surrounded by family at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers, Massachusetts, following a period of declining health. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Jack, as well as her sister, Ruth. Shirley was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on August 3, 1935 to Joseph and Emma [Thompson] Sarasin. She was raised in Plymouth, Connecticut where she was the valedictorian of her high school class at Terryville High School. Shirley attended and graduated from Teachers College Central of Connecticut where she was elected to Kappa Delta Pi, the national education fraternity. She met the love of her life, Jack Barbera, whom she married in November 1957. They settled in Berlin, Connecticut, where they raised their two boys; Todd and Bryan. They were all avid sailors and they spent their summers cruising all over New England waters, on their sailboat, Sea Paws. Shirley, however, was the only one trusted to drive in the fog during these sea adventures. When the children were older, she went to work for Hartford Hospital, in the Accounts Receivable department, where she worked for nearly twenty years. She and Jack retired to Holderness, New Hampshire in 1999, where they built a beautiful retirement home. During those years in Holderness Shirley enjoyed gardening, and she and Jack were very active in several car clubs, participating in tours and cruise nights. She is survived by her two sons; Todd Barbera and his wife, Heidi Herlihy, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and their children; Emma, Bella, Katie and Will; and Bryan Barbera and his wife, Okon Hwang, of Glastonbury, Connecticut, and their children; Brant and Lorin. She is also survived by two sisters in law; Claudia Sullivan and Norma Barbera, both of Vernon, Connecticut, along with several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at the Clifton Lutheran Church on Humphrey Street in Marblehead, Massachusetts on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 11:00 am followed by a luncheon. Donations in her memory may be made to the Clifton Lutheran Church or the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA).