Barbara Jennings ... enjoyed walking in the woods; at 82

ROCHESTER - Barbara "Barb" Jo-Ann (Mateza) Jennings was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She died peacefully at home in Rochester on Sept. 10, 2024, at the age of 82, after a long period of failing health.

Barb was born in Boston and lived there as well as Hingham and Weymouth, Mass., throughout her childhood. She trained at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston to become a hospital laboratory technician. During that time, she attended Ruggles Street Baptist Church.

Barb married her husband, Mark Jennings, in Kittery, Maine, in a small church at the top of the aptly named Love Lane. Two days later Mark shipped out to the Philippines as a communications technician in the Navy aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). Barb eventually joined him there for a time. After Mark came off active duty, they moved to New Hampshire where they raised their family.

Barb spent most of her career raising her three sons in the beautiful forest of southern New Hampshire, teaching them the fundamentals of cooking, a concern for others and the importance of faith. During this time, she attended True Memorial Baptist Church in Rochester with her family.

After her sons left home, she went back to school and obtained a BA in Office Management from the University of Southern New Hampshire.

Barb had a sharp wit and was always ready for a laugh. She loved animals, walking in the woods, murder mysteries and most importantly, moving through this world with intensity and purpose.

Barb is survived by her husband of 53 years, Mark Jennings; her son Mark and his wife Sarah and their three children, Isaac, Moses, and Esther; her son Josh and his partner Kathleen Koson and her two children Imogene and Arlo; and her son Zach and his wife Jill.