Anne Marie M. Barba

Anne Marie “Doli” (Brideau) Barba, beloved Mother and devoted Mimi, died surrounded by family on August 1. She joins her husband Frank Barba, Jr. who died in 1990. 

Anne Marie was born on French Hill in to Peter and Ella Brideau and grew up as one of eleven children. She graduated from St Bernard's Central Catholic High School in 1956 and shortly after, she met Frank, the love of her life, while sitting at the lunch counter of the pharmacy where he worked as a soda jerk. They married in 1961 and were together for 29 years, much of it spent behind the counter of Barba Pharmacy, the business they ran together for over 20 years. After Frank's passing, she traveled the world and took many cruises and with her wonderful friends and family. She was especially excited by her trip to St Petersburg, Russia but her favorite place was Las Vegas where she could be found happily seated in front of the slot machines hoping for a winner. 

She leaves her children, Ellen Tougias and her husband Matthew of Longmeadow, Peter and his wife Linda of Nahant, and Paul and his wife Kate of Franklin. She will be missed by her adoring grandchildren, Alex and his wife Kate, Stephanie, Olivia, Nicholas, Zachary, Frank and his wife Audrey, Liliana, Stephen, and Sarah. She is also survived by two of her sisters, May LaVenture and Marguerite Coughlin and her sisters-in-law, Virginia Heffelfinger and her husband Jack and Maureen Canning and her husband Sam. Known fondly as 'Aunt Doli,' she also leaves many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband and parents, Anne Marie was predeceased by her loving in laws, Frank and Assunta Barba and eight of her siblings.

Her devotion to her family was only matched by her devotion to the Catholic Church where she volunteered regularly. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to Holy Family of Nazareth Church in Leominster.

Family and friends will gather for a period of visitation on Tuesday, August 6, 2024 from 4:00pm until 7:00pm at Simard Funeral Home, 14 Walker St. Leominster, MA. A mass will take place Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 10:00am at Holy Family of Nazareth Church, 750 Union St, Leominster, MA. Burial will take place following mass at St. Leo Cemetery, 360 Lancaster St, Leominster, MA.

Kevin J. Mack, Walter C. Taylor, and Melissa A. McQuaid, Funeral Directors.