Barbara (Foederer) Wilson, 83, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 17, 2026.

Barbara grew up in Syracuse, New York, and later made her home on Nantucket, Massachusetts—a place she loved deeply and tended to with care, humor, and a gardener's proud eye.

Barbara was the original lifestyle pioneer, ingeniously making clothes, home goods, toys, and feasts from scratch. She had many lives, careers, and adventures—always curious, always learning. She was a wonderful cook who especially loved a classic lobster dinner, and a French Cruller from Dunkin'. She adored animals, both great and small, and rescued many a baby bunny. Her beloved cats were treated like queens. Barbara lovingly nurtured her enchanted, verdant Nantucket garden for hours upon hours a day. Barbara enjoyed sports and was a devoted cheerleader, toting a bag of bubble gum to every Cicero High School baseball game, coached by her husband Paul. She possessed a wicked sense of humor that surfaced when you least expected it and delighted all children. She loved a good prank. She filled homes with magic, mischief, memories, and her trademark moxie.

She is predeceased by her husband Paul Wilson, and her brother Richard Foederer. She is survived by her daughters, Wendy Mills and Kate Wilson; son-in-law Ciaran Byrne, her grandchildren, Ella Maré and Mabel Byrne; her sister, Donna O'Donnell; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who will miss her deeply.

Barbara will be remembered for her independence, her intelligence, her ability to keep us guessing, her love of simple pleasures, and for the twinkle in her eye. She cultivated a singular life—one that was deeply her own.

Funeral Services are private