Donald P. Barber

ROXBURY - Donald Barber, 91, passed away on August 14, 2023, at his longtime home and place of solace in Roxbury, CT. He was the loving husband of the late Maria Barber for 62 beautiful years.

Donald was born on April 3, 1932 in New York, NY to the late Donald Barber Sr. and Josephine Barber. He, his late sister Rose and his late brother Francis were all born in Manhattan, NY and went on to grow up in Brooklyn, NY in the family neighborhood of Stuart Street.

Donald started his career as an amazing artist in the outdoor advertising industry, continuing the legacy started at the company by his father, Donald Sr. The family, including his brother Francis, were outstanding artists with an ability to capture and promote life and perspective at its finest - similar to what he did with those people he met in day to day life. Donald went on to work for almost forty years, working his way up in the company to become the business manager for the paint department. His focus was always on promoting his fellow "brothers" in the union and trying to bring laughter and find happiness in each day. That was so important to him.

As noted above, Donald loved art in all its vast forms and had an eye for beauty in everything. He was an incredibly strong man able to overcome many challenges in his life and always persevered. At an early age, to provide for his family and mother and father, he left high school to get a job and support the family when his father fell ill. Donald had a relentless focus on family and doing this was never in question. Once his father had recovered, he overcame any insecurity and continued to create many new paths in life and face all adventures head on.

He was eternally devoted to his family. He loved rebuilding old cars, holding hands with his beloved wife Maria, together building their life-long home of over 55 years. He embraced the spectrum of experience, whether skydiving with his daughter Suzanne, supporting his daughter Joanna's lifelong dream to create a life in Hawaii, or simply sitting in the couch with his family each night watching a new movie and sharing laughter and holding hands. He loved helping other people and tried at any length to bring smiles and happiness into people's day. His phrase, always genuine, was "thank you for brightening my day".

Donald met the love of his life, Maria in 1960. They married and had their first child in 1965, followed by their second in 1967. Donald and Maria were inseparable, sharing a level of intimacy and connectedness as friends, lovers and companions throughout life. They moved to Connecticut from New York in 1967 to focus on raising their children in the "country" and giving them the best life possible. Donald lost his beloved wife in January of 2023 after her third battle with cancer. Throughout it all, he remained a permanent, enduring fixture of love and support. As she grew more ill, he took on cleaning the house and cooking, as he could, to have her eat. He would make her laugh with his lessons in learning and always tell her how he appreciated all she had done throughout their years. In her final days, he would care for her, be with her at every doctor appointment, and sit by her bedside holding her hand. When she left, he hugged her and softly spoke, "my darling, I love you. Come back for me. " When his beloved Maria left him, it was obvious that his love continued to grow for her more each day as when she was on earth. This is a testament to his capacity to love and his appreciation of family.

Both Donald & Maria had big hearts and were able to reach people throughout life. With that came a number of people who became true extended family. A few of those people were Joseph, Donna and Brianna Cichowski, longtime neighbors and angels. Joseph became a son, Donna became one of Donald's trusted best friends and Brianna the "little one", brought her light and youthful energy to brighten his life with every meeting. They remained a steadfast family through Maria and Donald's lives and were there as family until the very end of their times on earth. The love that Donald and Maria had for Joseph, Donna, and Brianna as well as those in the "extended family" will remain forever.

Donald is survived by his two daughters Joanna Pond of Kona, Hawaii and Suzanne Barber of Hebron, CT. He has two granddaughters, Ashley Rose Pond of Watertown, CT and Annabelle Grace Pond of Winsted, CT. Donald is also survived by his sister-in-law, Eleanor Barber of Bradenton, FL, and by his nieces and nephews, Michael Barber, Donald Barber III, Gene Barber, Frances Barber and Patrice Sotomayor. Besides his parents and his wife, Donald was predeceased by his late sister Rose West and her husband, Michael West as well as his in-laws, Joseph Sr. & Grace Vella and his brother-in-law Joseph Vella. They shared experiences together that would continue to build a blessed lifetime.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 from 4:00 - 7:00 PM at Carpino Funeral Home, 750 Main Street South, Southbury, CT.

Memorial donations can be made in Donald's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, an organization that both Donald and Maria were passionate about, at stjude.org. For directions, or to leave a message of remembrance, please visit www.CarpinoCares.com.

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