Barbara Sabourin, Farm, Family and Community Service Middlebury Barbara Sabourin, age 92, passed away peacefully in her home on Friday, December 4th, 2020, with family. Barbara was born December 14th, 1927 the first of three children, on her grandparents farm, Joseph and Katherine Ash on the New Haven River Road. She was born premature and weighed less than two pounds. The doctor said to wrap her in baby oil and cotton batten and place her on the cold front porch where she would be safe. Her parents, Howard and Marguerite Ash, drove her to Burlington to see an osteopath who said she may not survive, but if she does, she will be strong and live a long life. Barbara loved to be outdoors and working with the animals on the family farm. When she was ten years old her father traded a cow for a pony which they named "Fanny." She had a wagon and harness for Fanny which she used to pick up scatterings of hay, stack it on a wagon and bring it to the barn. In the fall she would take Fanny with a wagon across the New Haven river to pick up butternuts, put them in grain bags and bring them back to the barn. Barbara loved and treasured Fanny for thirty-two years and eventually buried her in a special place on the Sabourin family farm in Middlebury. Barbara attended a one room school house on the New Haven River Road from first to eighth grade and then attended High School at Beeman Academy in New Haven. Her class of three girls and four boys graduated in June of 1946. After high school Barbara attended the University of Vermont for two years and then transferred to the Burlington Business College only to have to return home to help her mother care for her ailing father. To help her family, Barbara decided to leave college and take a job with the Vermont Coop. Fire Insurance company. Barbara met her husband to be, Hector Sabourin, at the then popular summer dance place called "Japanese Gardens," which is now Martin Hardware in Bristol, VT. Hector had been working on his family farm in Shoreham at the time. Hectors older brothers had all volunteered to serve in the military during the war, serving in the Navy, Air Force & Army. Like his brothers, Hector enlisted into the Army and served in Korea as a Military Policeman. While Hector was away, Barbara would write Hector letters on a regular basis, and due to those letters, Hector had determined to marry Barbara upon his return. Barbara married Hector in 1950 in St. Ambrose Church in Bristol, VT and moved to Vergennes, VT where Hector worked with the A & P grocery store company as a butcher. Their first son Gary was born there, but due to Barbaras love for farming, Hector and Barbara decided to purchase a farm in Middlebury, VT and began farm life there in 1953 where her three other sons Brian, Kirk, and Randy would be born. Even though farm life was very demanding, Hector and Barbara made sure that their four sons received a thorough education, had time to be involved with sports, distinguishing themselves in the football and wrestling, and attend college. Together with her family, Barbara would work this farm for 28 years, building and award-winning herd of pedigreed Holstein cows and expanding the reach of the farm to include many fields around the town of Middlebury which today are occupied by the Middle school, the Hannafords shopping plaza, Buttolph acres, and many quaint homes. After the sale of the family farm in 1981 Barbara became involved in the Middlebury community where she volunteered on the Field Days board of directors, was involved with the Green Mountain Boys 4H Club, served on the St. Marys church parish council and even found time to start a parish garden behind the former St. Marys School. After selling the family farm, Barbara began the work that would define the rest of her life serving the elderly as an employee of what was then called "Project Independence" but which today goes by the name, "Elderly Services" of Middlebury, VT. At "Project," Barbara would take on the role of activities coordinator but also enjoyed driving the van to pick up participants from the surrounding towns. Barbara was predeceased by her husband Hector in 2005 and leaves behind a family of four sons, five grandchildren, one great grandchild and four daughter in laws: Gary and his son Garrett and wife Joyce Marie and their adopted son Noah Smith Sabourin; Brian, his wife Katsumi, and their son Victor and wife Karyung; Kirk and his wife Becky; Randall, his wife Christine, daughters Ashley husband Jackson Capenos, Bradleigh with husband Loren Starnes, great grandson Oliver, and Madison. Barbara also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews who she regularly kept in contact with. Barbara was predeceased by her younger brother and sister, Leonard Ash and Genevive. Funeral services will be held at St. Marys Church, Wednesday, December 9th at 10am. Barbaras family will receive friends on Tuesday at Sanderson Funeral Home in Middlebury from 4pm 6pm while following COVID protocols for mask and social distancing. Private burial for family to follow services at St. Josephs Cemetery in Bristol. For Family and friends who cannot attend the Mass for Barbara, but would like to watch it, please email [emailprotected] or brian Sabourin at [emailprotected] to request a zoom link and password. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider a donation in Barbaras name to either Project Independence Elderly Services, 112 Exchange St. Middlebury, VT 05753. Or to her Parish, St. Marys Church, 73 Weybridge St. Middlebury, VT 05753. Flowers can be ordered from Coles Flowers @ 802-388-4003 and delivered to Sandersons Funeral Home in Middlebury. The wake will take place at Sandersons on Tuesday, December 8th from 4-6pm and the funeral service will take place at Saint Marys Catholic Church in Middlebury at 10am on Wednesday, December 9th. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/EievZFqvqNxcKQFOS2s1uvPYQxwpr0jDPGgqZi-LKblKYbuOin0NXalWtBUDc-_2.Im2LIu8ARlXfeR4I?startTime=1607525775000 To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Barbara A. Sabourin, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store. Visitation Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Home Tuesday, December 08, 2020 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 117 South Main St Middlebury, VT 05753 Funeral Service St. Mary's Church Wednesday, December 09, 2020 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 326 College St Middlebury, VT 05753