BRUNSWICK – Barbara Lillian (Gifford) Whitepine, passed away peacefully on Nov. 18, 2024, in Brunswick, Maine.
Barbara was born June 13, 1930. She grew up in Reading Mass., with her parents Grace Linda (Rogers) and William Bradford Gifford, and her younger siblings Nancy May (Gifford) LaFrance and the late Theodore Rogers Gifford.
Major events like the 1930’s depression and the early death of her father had a large impact on her life, but she persevered and pursued a fulfilling life of travel, children, writing and music. Barbara valued nature and the outdoors. She enjoyed hiking, nature walks, rowing, and kayaking. Her musical abilities included playing piano and violin, and she played her euphonium horn in local bands into her 80s. She traveled through much of Europe, and the US.
Barbara graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and was employed at Brown University and later retired from Bowdoin College.
Barbara is survived by her partner of 40 years, Catharine M. Chase; her three children, Heidi Schmitt Erspamer, Albert Peter Schmitt, and Stephanie Schmitt Savastano; and her three grandchildren August ‘Gus’ Peter Erspamer, Stephanie Barbara Erspamer, and Grant Bradford Savastano.
We would like to express our thanks to her friends and caregivers who have given her so much love, happiness, and support.