Barbara A. Doody

Barbara A. (Regan) Doody, Age 87, of Goffstown, NH, died while sleeping peacefully at her nieces’ home in Fairhaven, MA, surrounded by family, on February 19, 2023.

Barbara was the second-born child of the late John and Mary (Muolo) Regan of Cochituate, MA.  

She is survived by her children, Michael Doody and his wife, Kathy, Sean Doody and his wife, Jill, Anna Doody Arico and her husband, John, and Philip “PJ” Doody and his wife, Christina; her grandchildren, Brianna, Ryan, John “JP” and Kevin; 13 siblings, John, Catherine, Mary, Edward, Philip, Joseph, Leona, Patricia, Sheila, Pamela, Rebecca, Anna, Gloria and their spouses; dozens of cousins, many nieces and nephews and many others who loved her deeply.

She was predeceased by her brothers Tom and Bob. 

Barbara was born August 21, 1935. She lived in Somerville, MA until age 9 when the family moved to Cochituate, MA. She graduated from Wayland High School in 1953 where she was a three-sport athlete. She married in 1962 and moved to Cochituate where she raised her four children.

She wore many hats.  Barbara loved her hats – straw hats in summer, wool, or fleece for winter. Colorful hats, practical hats with ear flaps, decorated hats with jewels and feathers, she rarely went out without one.

She wore many hats in life as well, as eldest daughter of sixteen kids, she was often watching after or doing chores for the younger siblings. She took them on outings to the beach or park once she got her driver’s license.

Barbara raised four children on her own, teaching them the importance of hard work. She worked many different jobs over her working career, often two at time to feed her family.  She worked at Brockelman’s Market, the Telephone Company and Digital Equipment Corp. Her favorite job was being the school bus driver for the Wayland-Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunities (METCO) program, because she loved talking to the kids and flying down the Mass Pike at five in the morning when there was no traffic.  She always made friends at each job.

Despite how busy she was with family and work, she also managed to find time to help her community, driving for FISH and The Carroll Center for the Blind. In her retirement, she moved to Goffstown, NH and she became very busy with the Goffstown Garden Club, GCTV, sewing sleeping bags for the unsheltered and driving for Meals on Wheels.

Barbara was also a gifted artist.  She could sketch your portrait in a matter of minutes, all while telling you she was doing a bad job. She painted and sewed and treasured time spent with her sisters when they gathered for group craft projects like sewing quilts for hospice.

Her favorite role was as grandmother, babysitting kids and dogs, making messy projects or going to the beach. She loved driving her grandkids to hockey practice or dance lessons and soccer, always keeping drinks and snacks in her car. She attended every game and performance possible, wearing one of her signature hats.

SERVICES: Calling hours at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., Manchester, NH will be Friday (2/24) from 4 to7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, 190 Meetinghouse Rd., Bedford, NH on Saturday (2/25) at 11a.m. Burial will be in the family lot at St. Zepherine Cemetery, Wayland, MA at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Meals on Wheels Hillsborough County at  Ways to Give to Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County (hcmow.org)