Barbara Jean (Peckham) Larson

Barbara Jean Larson, 68, of Mansfield, passed away on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 after spending her last hours surrounded by her children, family and close friends in the comfort of the home she built with her late husband Carl E. Larson (d. 2017). Barbara was born in Windham, CT on December 27, 1950 to Beatrice (Squires) and Rowland Peckham. Adored wife and mother, she was family-focused and spent her children?s formative years curating and running the home while lovingly tending to its flower gardens and surrounding landscape. She had a green thumb and a way of evoking beauty in all living things. She also enjoyed sewing early on and strengthened her skills as a seamstress throughout her life creating garments for toys, children, adults and occasionally dogs! Knitting became a joy later in life; family and friends have been awed by her gifted creations for years. Barbara had a lifelong love for books and spent a period of time working as a librarian in the Scotland, CT elementary school system. It was important to her to encourage reading; often her favorite gift to give was a book. She had a love for baking and became a culinary master caring for her family and hosting friends throughout her life. Her passion for food led to work for Stonewall Kitchen, a specialty food store based out of York, Maine. Barbara created a legacy of strength and courage beyond measure for exceeding medical expectations regarding her 4+ year battle with colon cancer. Friends and loved ones will miss her generous nature, fierce spirit, and immeasurable talent. She leaves behind her children; Kelsey Larson, Eric Larson, and Linnea (Larson) Nikitas, her husband Jason Nikitas, three grandchildren; Natalia, Jack, and Alaina Nikitas, her mother, Beatrice Peckham, sister Bette Gauthier and her husband Roger and their three children; Sean Gauthier, Kyle Gauthier, and Aubrey (Gauthier) Egan, sister-in-law Christine Burton and her husband Davis, along with their children Jeff and Scott Burton, in addition to her many friends. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 12:00 PM at The First Congregational Church of Coventry, 1171 Main St. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made in her name to the First Congregational Church of Coventry 1171 Main St., P.O. Box 355, Coventry CT 06238.