Barbara was the eldest daughter of John F and Marion P (Gooby) Fossett. Along with her sister and two brothers, Barbara grew up in East Boston, surrounded by a huge family of grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. She often recalled her childhood as a happy time where there was so much going on within her family, she was afraid of missing something if she went out with friends.

Then, when she was about to finish her senior year at East Boston High School, her parents announced that their family was moving to the west coast. Her mother started packing and her father bought a station wagon . They sold the house, and a few days after she graduated, Barb's parents loaded up their kids and set out to drive across the U.S., all the way from Boston, MA to sunny California.

It was the ultimate road trip and Barbara remembered this time as a great adventure, eating in restaurants, staying overnight in motels, sometimes camping out, and stopping along the way to see unusual sights, even visiting the Grand Canyon.

Barb loved everything about Southern California and was especially looking forward to winters with no snow. She loved waking up to blue skies and sunshine almost every day, exploring L.A, and going to the beach, where the Pacific Ocean was much warmer than the Atlantic. She found a job right away and started saving for a place of her own. Barbara always made friends easily and it wasn’t long before she moved in with a couple of other girls who needed another roommate. Still, she always managed to make it to her parents for Sunday dinners

Her children were born in Southern California, where Barbara continued living for many years. She might have stayed in L.A. for the rest of her days, if her parents hadn’t decided to move to Northern California to enjoy their retirement. After her parents and younger brother moved to Redding, it wasn’t long before Barbara decided it was time to leave the city behind and follow them. As much as Barb loved living in L,A., she never even considered moving back

Because Barbara enjoyed life, people enjoyed being around her. She enjoyed dining out in the company of friends, loved to go dancing, and she especially enjoyed hosting small dinner parties, cooking her latest specialty and impressing her friends.

Time passed, her kids grew up and moved out on their own. Barb aged like fine wine and she never let the years slow her down. Between her job at Jack’s Grill, playing darts on the local Bar League, going to neighborhood churches several times a week with her Mom to play Bingo, and going on cruises to faraway places, Barb enjoyed a full and active life.

As much as she enjoyed her friends, Barb always put her family first. After her father passed away and her mom became ill, she moved back in with her mother. Her parents had opened an east coast style deli to keep them from getting bored in retirement and they counted on their eldest daughter to manage the business when they decided to cut back on working so many hours and she continued working for them until the business closed.