05/20/1933 to 08/14/2024
Barbara Thorpe Ganley, a resident of Eastview at Middlebury, Vermont, passed away peacefully in her sleep on August 14, 2024 after a wonderful 91 years. Born May 20,1933, Barbara was raised in Plandome, daughter of Roy and Gertrude Thorpe, where she met her beloved husband of 57 years, Albert C. Ganley, who predeceased her in 2007. In 1963 they moved to Exeter, New Hampshire where she became immersed in the life of Phillips Exeter Academy, graduated from the University of New Hampshire and raised her three children, David, Michael and Barbara. For many years she volunteered in reading programs, directed her church’s choir and represented the town of Exeter in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, working hard for the preservation of New Hampshire’s forests. The family happily spent their summers in their little red cottage in Sandy Point, Maine.
A lifelong and spirited appreciator of music, sailing, cooking, literature, and travel, Barbara was also an avid painter, filling her homes with her creations. An insatiable learner, she joined many community reading and writing groups over the years, delighting in conversations about books and ideas.
In 2012, to be closer to her daughter’s family in Vermont, she moved to Middlebury’s Eastview Retirement Community as one of its first residents. She loved her new home and deeply valued the friends she met there including the wonderful staff.
Barbara is survived by daughter Barbara Ganley and son-in-law William Roper of Weybridge, Vermont; son David Ganley of Ipswich, Massachusetts and daughter-in-law Patti Ganley; daughter-in-law Valerie Lapin Ganley of Pacifica, California; sister Bettie Alford of Lynchburg, Virginia; four grandchildren and two great granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews. Her son, Michael Ganley, predeceased her by four years.
A private celebration of her life will be a joyous occasion for her family. A passionate supporter of democracy and our planet, Barbara would ask you, in lieu of flowers, to contribute to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign..
