Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 15, 1935, she was the daughter of William A. and Agnes (Connelly) Blaha. She received her B.S. in English from Plymouth State College, Masters in Education from Central Connecticut State University and Doctorate in Education from Boston University. She also attended the University of Vienna in Vienna, Austria.
For over 30 years she was a professor at Plymouth State College of the University System of New Hampshire where she chaired the English Department and founded the Communication Studies Major.
During her retirement years her greatest joy was volunteering at the York County Homeless Shelter in Alfred, Maine. She was a communicant of the Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunk. A voracious reader, Barbara also enjoyed classical music, adored animals and sharing the bounty of her vegetable and flower gardens with friends and neighbors.
She leaves behind a brother, William Blaha Jr. of Nashua, New Hampshire; two nephews Michael and Mark Sullivan of Lynn, Massachusetts; nieces Brenda and Missy Blaha of Nashua, New Hampshire, and her beloved Ragdoll cats, Cecilia and Danika.
A Mass will be celebrated in her memory on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 8 a.m. at the Franciscan Monastery, 28 Beach Ave., Kennebunk. A Graveside Service will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 1 p.m. in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Bennington, New Hampshire.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to the York County Shelter Programs, 147 Shaker Hill Road, Alfred, ME 04002.
To share a memory or leave a message of condolence, please visit Barbara’s Book of Memories Page at www.bibberfuneral.com.
Arrangements are in care of Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer St., Kennebunk, ME 04043.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less