Barbara Madeline (Murell) Thompson, 72, died at home on Sunday, April 25th 2021, surrounded by family. She was born in August 1948 to Dominick Murell and Barbara "Bobbi" (Gosstyla) Murell in Hudson, New York. Barbara attended St. Mary’s Academy, and loved sharing stories about growing up in Hudson in the 1950s and her father’s chocolate shop on Warren Street. She graduated in 1966 from Vincentian Institute in Albany.
Barbara briefly attended Hudson Valley Community College before fleeing cloudy New York for sunny Arizona. She always held an affinity for the American southwest—finding the Sonoran desert and the red rock canyons of Arizona and Utah inspiring. It was in Arizona where she discovered her lifelong love of tapestry weaving, and chimichangas. Barbara met her future husband while attending the University of Arizona, where she received a BA and MA in Education specializing in guidance and counseling. After their marriage, the couple lived in central New York and Georgia, where they spent 13 years and started a family, before settling in southern New Hampshire.
Creative and strong-willed, Barbara was an avid collector of both American antiques and folk art. She loved making friends, helping others, cooking, and giving humorous gifts. She always treasured her trips to the American southwest, the Canadian Maritimes, and visiting relatives in Italy. Right to the end, Barbara remained very proud of the fact that she had no gray hair.
Barbara is survived by her husband, Andy, her daughter, Anna, her younger brother, Bart John Murell, her brother-in-law, David Thompson, and her sister-in-law, Patricia Thompson, as well as many cousins: Linda McAllister, Judy McAllister and Deane Lewis, Nathaniel Lewis, Emma Lewis, Michael McAllister, Joe Harkowa, and Cynthia Bernhardt. The Italian Marulli family will remember her with much love: her cousins Antonio, Donatella, Marisa, Luisa, Giulio, and her aunt Elvira.
A celebration of her life will be held once COVID restrictions are eased. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Massachusetts General Hospital – Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (https://www.madrc.org | https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate/madrc/) or the Southern Poverty Law Center (https://splcenter.org).