Obituary of Wendy Henrietta Barrett

Wendy courageously endured a two-year ordeal with ALS. The disease progressed inexorably, destroying her body but not her dignity. Wendy died peacefully in the home she loved in the Soquel hills, attended by her family, and in Hospice care. She is survived by her two sons, Aaron and Perry; her husband, Eamon; her sister, Betty; and her brother, Anton. Wendy was one of seven siblings. Her father, Perry Smith, was a decorated World War 1 fighter pilot, shot down behind enemy lines in France. Rescued, he became an Episcopalian minister. He and Wendy's mother, Henrietta Stahl, raised their family in several ministries across the United States. Her father remained a hero-figure to Wendy throughout her life. Many of Wendy's early years were spent in Oregon, where she received her elementary education and attended University. Some of her fondest childhood memories were of idyllic summer vacations with her family among forests and rivers along the Oregon coast. Classical ballet was Wendy's initial creative passion, and she trained and performed with the San Francisco Ballet Company. Subsequently she turned to painting which she studied at the California School Of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Wendy was a talented and active painter throughout her life. In 1959 this lovely young lady married Eamon, a mathematician. She soon became the mother of two bright, handsome sons, Aaron and Perry. She remained their loyal and loving friend and supporter as they have matured into manhood. Wendy loved new sights and sounds and enjoyed traveling abroad with family and friends, initially in Japan and Thailand in the 1960s, and more recently in England, Italy and France. Wendy's many friends will remember her as warm, witty and creative, impatient with pretentiousness and naturally honest and kind. In the future when you who knew Wendy do something creative or show kindness to another person, please remember Wendy and imagine her saying to you: "That was a really nice thing you just did."