Barbara Louise (McLaughlin) Pelletier, age 92, of Gardiner, Maine, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her daughter's home on October 29, 2026, with all four of her children close by.

Born June 12, 1934, in Gardiner, Maine, Barbara was the third of four children and the only daughter of Charles "Charlie" Sr. and Freda McLaughlin. As a girl she pumped gas and kept the books at her father's store and gas station. She graduated from Gardiner Area High School in 1952.

It was at the store that Barbara first noticed a quiet, shy young man named Louis Pelletier. She had a crush on him and made sure he knew it, flirting with him over all the other fellows who hung around the station. They married on July 2, 1954, beginning nearly 69 years together. They raised four children: Mark, Julie, and Tammy, born within five years, and Tim, who came along 13 years later, when Barbara was 40.

Barbara stayed home with the children, babysitting for other families as well, until Mark, Julie, and Tammy were in school full-time. She then worked in the office at Hazzard Shoe in Augusta, where Louis was a foreman on the shop floor. After Tim was born, she resumed her role as a stay-at-home mom, and once Tim was older, she worked as administrative assistant to the president of Gardiner Savings. She often said, "Being a mother is the hardest job you'll ever love."

The house Louis built was always her "Home Sweet Home," and she delighted in decorating it for every holiday and filling it with family. A woman of deep faith who had always wanted to be a teacher, she loved teaching Sunday school at St. Joseph's Church in Gardiner and was a faithful member of her Bible study group.

Barbara loved sewing and knitting, music and dancing, and reading stories of family and faith, and she never tired of joking about her love of "beer," the kind made from root. A fast walker, even in her final years she would proudly say, "I'm a great walker!" She loved hiking and the outdoors, and she and Louis often took the kids camping. She enjoyed games of every kind, and well into her later years she could still "give a whipping" to her kids and grandkids at bocce ball and croquet. With her grandchildren she was gentle and playful, always ready to sing, read, or turn a moment into a lesson. Positive and kind, she was devoted above all to God, her family, and her friends.

After Louis's passing in 2023, Barbara moved in with her daughter Julie, next door to her son Mark. There, Julie lovingly cared for her, and the two were constant companions.

Barbara is survived by her son Mark and his wife Sheila; daughter Julie; daughter Tammy and her partner Kevin; son Tim and his wife Bethany; grandchildren Sarah, Matt, Chris, Emmi, Kevin, Jaime, Sydney, and Logan; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Louis and her brothers Bernard, Charles Jr., and Philip.

Visiting hours celebrating Barbara’s life will be held on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at Staples Funeral Home, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner, ME. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30am on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Gardiner, ME. Burial will follow at the New Maine Veterans Cemetery, Mount Vernon Road, Augusta, ME. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family by visiting the Staples Funeral Home website www.StaplesFuneralHome.com

Louis built a home for Barbara here on earth, and we take comfort knowing she has now gone to the home he built for her in heaven, together again with her husband and with her best friend, Jesus, as she always called Him.