Barbara Ellson Lacey

Barbara Ellson Lacey was born on December 11, 1937 in the Bronx, New York. A gifted artist, initially with painting, and later in life with quilting, she attended the prestigious High School of Music and Art in Manhattan, New York. She completed undergraduate work with honors in history at Smith College, a master’s degree at the University of Connecticut, and a doctorate in history at Clark University. She was a professor of history at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford Connecticut where she taught a variety of American history courses for over twenty years. One of her greatest professional achievements was the publication of her book From Sacred to Secular: Visual Images in Early American Publications. After initially being rejected by over two dozen publishing companies, the University of Delaware Press published the book in 2007. It is currently available in over 314 libraries/repositories around the world.

Barbara was a very spiritual woman and enjoyed reading the works of Christian scientists. She found a warm welcoming community at Saint Paul’s Windham, Connecticut and considered the Orthodox Cathedral of the Virgin Protection in New York to be her home church.

Barbara‘s greatest joy was her family. She loved her sister, Mary Ellson, and her cousins Debbie Truhan and Rene Borough. Barbara was very proud of and deeply loved her children, Christopher Lacey, and Elizabeth Laliberte, their spouses Denise Lacey and John Laliberte, and her eight grandchildren. While we will miss her interesting and compelling conversations, we are comforted by the fact that she is reunited with her husband, Jim, the love of her life, who passed away last year just after their 66th wedding anniversary.