Barbara L. (Letson) Nimblett

Barbara Louise (Letson) Nimblett, a lifelong resident of Winthrop, died peacefully on May 22, 2023, at the age of 97 while in hospice care at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. She made the decision while a patient at Massachusetts General Hospital to cease her medical care and finish her life in a hospice environment, trusting her faith in God and fully aware that her earthy life would no longer sustain her. Before her passing, Barbara celebrated the Last Rites with her longtime priest, Father Walter Connelly, of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Winthrop. 

Barbara was born in the Metcalf Hospital in Winthrop on December 18, 1925, and spent the rest of her life in Winthrop. She was in all respects a dedicated Winthropite and never ceased to support everything about the town of her birth. She married the love of her life John Francis Nimblett (Johnny) in 1945, and they were a dedicated couple for almost 66 years until Johnny died in 2011. She is survived by their son John Kenneth Nimblett (Kenny/Ken) of Somerville and was the mother-in-law of Henry Stuckert Miller (Rusty) who preceded her in death in 2016. Her sister and only sibling Virginia (Letson) Dempster and brother-in law John Dempster preceded her in death some years ago. She is survived by her niece Nancy (Dempster) Eimers and nephew John (Jack) Dempster and their spouses, children and grandchildren. She was sadly preceded in death in 2023 by her loving nephew and niece Jimmy and Sally (Mills) Nimblett. She was also the aunt of many members of the Nimblett family, most notably Tommy, Ruthie (Nimblett), Wayland, and Bobby Nimblett and their spouses and children.

From her early days, Barbara involved herself in all aspects of the community she loved. She attended Winthrop Public Schools, was secretary of the class of 1943, and was active for many years on the reunion committee of all of her class reunions. In addition, she was involved in numerous civic organizations in the town, many more than can be noted here, but primarily the Winthrop Women’s Club (president); the Popular Authors Literary Club (recording secretary), The Winthrop Improvement and Historical Association, and the Margaret Winthrop Rebekah Lodge. As a lifelong member of St. John’s Episcopal church, she carried out innumerable responsibilities during her lifetime, including as a member of the vestry, Directress of the Altar Guild, and numerous other church committees and functions. An unmatched parish greeter, Barbara welcomed countless folks into the fellowship of St John's.

Professionally, Barbara provided secretarial services in a number of agencies and businesses throughout her career, the last of which was her role as secretary to professors in the Botany department at Harvard University. The shorthand she used in her work was a skill she utilized throughout her life. In her personal life she was totally dedicated to her family members and friends and cultivated an active life of involvement in all ways with them. She was an accomplished seamstress, sewer, and knitter; and she made many of her own clothes for years as well as items for others. An avid traveler, she journeyed to a wide array of destinations around the world and savored and talked about the experiences she had continually. On these trips she often developed new friendships with fellow travelers and went on future trips with them. A particular passion she had over the years was amassing a collection of stuffed bears that visitors to her home could always easily see since they were everywhere in her midst. As a result of her father’s native British heritage, Barbara readily adopted the life of an Anglophile and relished the connection that provided to her identity. A trip she took to the British Isles was not only her first international venture, it was also a time when she visited the home of her father’s birth and cemented the lifelong connection she had had growing up in a British inspired household. The death of Queen Elizabeth II was a particular blow to her since the queen and she were almost the same age; and as Barbara said, “She’s been with me all my life.”

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of her life which will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, corner of Bowdoin and Buchanan Streets, Winthrop, MA. A visitation in the church will take place from 9-11am followed by a Memorial Service at 11. Interment in the Letson family grave will take place immediately after the service. A reception will follow in the parish house directly across the street.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gits may be made to the following: St John's Episcopal Church, 222 Bowdoin Street, Winthrop, MA 02152 or Winthrop Improvement and Historical Association, P.O Box 520177, Winthrop, MA 02152

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