WINTHROP – Barbara Rowell Kirkpatrick, this loving mother and grandmother, a friend and loving wife of Carl Kirkpatrick met her maker on May 24.

She was born in Skowhegan in 1918, the daughter of Harold and Nettie (Pollard) Rowell. She also has a sister, Frances and a brother, Gordon.

She was a giver and a doer and was constantly giving her time in activities for and about young people.

She helped plan B.E.A. Club stage shows in the Old Erskine Academy gym and was a performer in the shows. The B.E.A. Club donated the show’s proceeds to Erskine activities. She headed a committee that raised funds for the new Erskine gym. She was made an honorary graduate of Erskine for her supportive activities over the years.

She enjoyed singing. Singing in church choirs and the Kennebelles barber shop chorus were her favorite places to sing. She also loved to dance and met Carl at a dance at Presque Isle High School.

She made lots of quilts and made sure that her children and grandchildren each received at least one. Oil painting of landscapes and oceanside views were her specialties. She had showings at Maine General Medical Center in Augusta and Waterville and at Pemaquid in New Harbor.

She taught English at Presque Isle High School and the fourth grade in Windsor. She was a claims representative for the Social Security Administration and retired as a field representative in 1980. She wrote many articles for the Town Line weekly paper in South China.

She was active as president of the American Legion Auxiliary in South China, as matron of the Eastern Star in Weeks Mills, as a member of the Kennebec Art Association in Waterville and a poetry club in Weeks Mills.

She was a Bates College graduate and was made a member of the Key Club, which was made up of graduates with high academic standing and were also active in their college and community activities. She was also invited to be a life member of the China Area Chamber of Commerce. With husband, Carl they were honored as “Citizens of the Year” in the towns east of Augusta by the Modern Woodman Insurance Co.

She was the Maine Association of Retirees “Volunteer Of The Year” in the late 1980s. She had an 18-year period of volunteering at the MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta with Carl.

She and Carl were married (they eloped) in Fort Fairfield in 1941, and last Nov. 2, they completed 65 years of marriage. In the 1940s they were presented with three children, John, Suzanne and Gordon – all residents of the Augusta area.

Her sister, Frances lives in Skowhegan and her brother, Gordon of South Chatham, Mass. passed away in 2001.

She is survived by her husband, Carl; children, John, Suzanne and Gordon; grandchildren, Mike, Karen, Michelle, Paul, Nathan and Lucas; great-granddaughter, Gracelyn Therese; her sister and brother-in-law, Francis and Edwin Calder; many nieces and nephews; and a multitude of friends.