Barbara Jean (Carrier) Block, beloved wife of Waldemar L. Block Jr. for 71 years, died on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.
She was born June 21, 1925, in Springfield, the daughter of F. Lawrence and Genevieve (Cory) Carrier. She grew up in Mount Vernon, N.Y., and North Westchester, Conn. She was a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, and received a master’s degree from Central Connecticut State University.
Married in North Westchester, Conn., in 1946, the Blocks moved to Newington, Conn., in 1953. Barbara taught at the Ruth L. Chaffee School, John Wallace Middle School, and Newington High School.
Barbara was an active member of Grace Episcopal Church, serving as a member of the vestry, directress of the Altar Guild, coordinator of the Neighborhood Care Groups, and as a church school teacher.
She and Walt enjoyed many years of square and round dancing, with the Newington and Rocky Hill Square Dance Clubs, Monadnock Squares in Keene, N.H., and Merry-Go-Rounds in Chicopee. They attended many national and New England square and round dance conventions.
The Blocks built vacation homes in Antrim, N.H., and Martha’s Vineyard, which they especially enjoyed in their retirement years. Barbara was an avid gardener, and loved dogs and the outdoors. The Elderhostel program took them to many places in this country and Europe. Barbara also enjoyed hiking, knitting, entertaining, and attending theater productions.
She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Education Association, the Connecticut Education Association, the Newington Teachers Association, the Newington Historical Society, the Hillsborough Historical Society, and had served as a docent in the Franklin Pierce Homestead in Hillsborough, N.H.
Barbara was predeceased by her husband in 2017. Family members include her daughter Tracy Block Newport, and her husband William Newport, of Windsor, Conn.; son Thomas Carrier Block and his wife Dorothy Poole, of Arlington; grandson Timothy Leebrick Parkinson and his partner Katy Carey, of Seattle, Wash.; granddaughter Cory Carrier Chilberg and her husband Matthew Chilberg, of Coventry, Conn.; grandson Louis Poole Block, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and great-granddaughter Samantha Carrier Chilberg of Coventry.
Services will be held at Grace Episcopal Church, 124 Maple Hill Ave. in Newington, at 11 am, Saturday, Jan. 20, with the Rev. Valerie Miller officiating. Calling hours will be at the Duksa Family Funeral Home at Newington Memorial, 20 Bonair Ave., Newington, Conn., from 4 to 7 pm, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. Burial will be in Ponemah Cemetery, North Westchester, Conn., at the convenience of the family.
Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, 124 Maple Hill Ave., Newington, CT 06111. To share a condolence with her family, please visit duksa.net.