Barbara M. Noseworthy

Barbara M. Noseworthy, 81, of Wilmington, DE and Wells, ME, died peacefully on the afternoon of July 6, 2025 after a mercifully brief battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Barbara was born in Providence, RI in 1944.  A graduate of Classical High School, she went on to study at Wake Forest University and graduated with a BA and an MEd from Boston University, the first in her family to earn a college degree.

In her early career she worked as a counselor at the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in Boston, Massachusetts and the Fairview General Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.  She devoted her next several decades to raising her family and to community organizing and volunteering focused on the arts and medical sciences.  Among her many leadership roles include Chairperson of the Board of the Delaware Symphony, Chairperson of the OperaDelaware Board, President of the Medical Society of Delaware Auxiliary, and dedicated volunteer at the Nemours Children’s Hospital. She was the recipient of the 2024 Ann Ford Award for her dedication and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

Barbara was devoted to her family and friends and happiest when building community, especially when bringing new friends into her volunteer endeavors.  She remained connected throughout her life to dear friends from each of the cities she called home as an adult including Boston, Bethesda, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, FL, and Wells, ME.  A life-long learner, Barbara was an active student at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Delaware, becoming an expert on Constitutional Law in her last few years.

An avid card player, she organized Canasta lessons and weekly Mahjong games for her building’s community.  She founded a free lending library at her apartment building and at the time of her death was an active member of three book clubs.  She was a master gardener with a deep expertise in herbs and to the end of her life was a member of the Delaware Center for Horticulture and the Garden Gate Garden Club as well as the leader of the gardening committee at Park Plaza.  A longtime member of Christ Church Christiana Hundred, she sang for many years with the Christ Church Choir and treasured the Choral Pilgrimages to England as part of that group.  She tried never to miss a Choral Evensong at Christ Church!

Towards the end of her life, Barbara was asked what she would do with unlimited financial resources.  Her is her answer, in her own words, which perfectly encapsulates her curiosity about the world, her commitment to the equality of all people, and the true joy she found in travel and exploration of other cultures.  “If I had unlimited resources, I would travel to places around the world to learn about the peoples and the cultures.  As companions, I would enlist members of my family to join me to share the experiences.  I would also use my resources to support organizations that we encounter that are trying to improve the lives of others.”

She is survived by her daughters Elizabeth Fitzsimmons and Caroline Noseworthy and her grandson Adam Fitzsimmons. Her memorial service will be held on July 19, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Christ Church Christiana Hundred.  Interment in the All Saints Memorial Garden at Christ Church Christiana Hundred will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Delaware Symphony Orchestra to establish an endowed chair in Barbara’s honor.  Donations may be sent to the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, 100 West 10^th St, Suite 1003, Wilmington, DE 19801; made online at:  https://www.delawaresymphony.org/support/; or made by phone at 302-656-7442.  Alternatively, the family welcomes donations to The Nemours Children’s Hospital Auxiliary’s Family Assistance Fund.  Address: Nemours Children’s Hospital Attention: Volunteer Services Office, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803.