- Date Of Birth: October 13, 1958
- Date Of Death: November 14, 2016
- State: Connecticut
Jill Barton, 58, of Mansfield Center, previously of Hampton, CT, beloved wife of Anne Bladen, died at home on November 14, 2016 after living with metastatic breast cancer for over a decade. She died surrounded by the love of family and friends, all of whom will miss her tremendously.
Jill was born on October 13, 1958 in Tecumseh, MI to Jerry and Connie Barton (now of Huntley, Illinois), where she lived until the family moved to Grafton, WI when Jill was twelve. Jill spoke fondly of her mid-western background: going to the weekly fish fry, time at her grandparents’ lake cottage where she fished and spent time with her sister (Melissa Dawson of Barrington, IL) and cousins, her summer band trips and even of her unlikely time on the prom court. Jill attended Ferris State University where she first studied to be a golf pro and then graduated with a degree in horticulture.
A self-professed “Jill of All Trades,” she had an eclectic work history that, over the years, included working in greenhouses, mowing golf courses, working as an air traffic controller, rounding up roaming cows and opening stores for Walden Books. Jill moved to Connecticut in 1990 and earned a technical certificate in electronics. As with many things in Jill’s life, she fell into a job with AT&T as a network technician, a position she held until her retirement in 2006 when she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.
Despite describing herself as an introvert, Jill was one of the friendliest people you could meet. She could talk to anyone and quickly put others at ease with her self-deprecating sense of humor. One of Jill’s greatest strengths and gifts was her ability to see possibilities. She taught herself how to build stonewalls and bookcases, sheds and furniture. An artist at heart, Jill loved to create stained glass for friends and families. Together, she and Anne had a lavender farm in Hampton, CT where they grew over a thousand lavender plants and made soaps, sprays and sachets that they sold at both the Ellington and Storrs Farmers’ Markets until the cancer made farming too painful. They moved to Mansfield Center in 2012, achieving Jill’s dream of having waterfront property on a river and an antique home with two staircases.
Anne was the love of Jill’s life and they would have celebrated twenty-six years of commitment, including a civil union and marriage, to one another this year. One of the most unexpected blessings of Jill’s life was to become a parent, first to Lucas and then Gracie.
In addition to Anne, Lucas and Gracie, Jill leaves her parents and sister, four nephews and two nieces and many wonderful friends. She was grateful for the continuous love and support of Anne’s family, including sisters Lisa, Abigail, Maggie and Rebecca and mother-in-law, Daryl Bladen of Brewster, MA with whom she shared a special fondness for Maine and burn piles in the spring. Anne, Lucas and Gracie are grateful to all the friends and community members who reached out, supported and fed them, not just in the last months of Jill’s life but throughout her illness.
Little Pink Houses of Hope
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