Barbara Grindal, 76 of Burlington, wife of Bill Grindal died Friday, Feb. 24, at her daughter and son-in-law’s Burlington, Conn., home. Barb and her husband had been married for 57 years but had been lifelong companions since childhood. She was a Burlington resident for well over 50 years. She was the eldest daughter of Gilbert and Margaret Carlson, both deceased.

In addition to Bill, she is survived by her daughter Kristen Grindal-Keller and husband David Keller, who provided her the greatest of care in her final year, and a son, Britt Grindal of Westerly, R.I. She had three “love of her life” grandsons, Ryan Keller of Simsbury, Zachary Keller of Burlington, and Cooper Grindal of Westerly. She leaves behind two sisters, Alice Rogers and her husband Donald of Eastham, Mass., and Ingrid Mongillo of Old Saybrook, Conn., formerly of Bristol. 

Barb grew up in Bristol attending local schools.  She attended North Park College, graduated from EC Goodwin Nursing School and Northwestern Community College. She was a Quinnipiac University Graduate Respiratory Therapist and was employed at Bristol Hospital. Throughout her life she and her husband traveled to more than 50 countries. She made friends wherever she was. 

It is hard to imagine a better life. Beyond her family Barb was a lifelong avid tennis player, golfer, bicyclist, skier, dog owner and Session Woods walker. She ran in the Manchester Thanksgiving Road Races, won the Connecticut Mother and Son Equitable Family Ski Challenge, and played on the Senior Woman’s basketball team that won the Connecticut and New England championships. She was a huge fan of UConn Women’s Basketball attending hundreds of games all the way back to the Field House Days. She attended the majority of the Final Four appearances. 

For most of her Burlington years she was a horse owner, she was a longtime leader of the Nepaug Trail Riders 4-H Horse Club and the “trail boss” at the Hartford County Outdoor Center’s summer horse camp. She also served as a camp nurse. 

In recent years Barb suffered from hearing loss and aphasia which lead to the final diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia. Many organizations had an incredible role in making her life more livable. The family sincerely thanks the Southern Connecticut Hearing and Speech Clinic in New Haven, Kris Cosgrove at CT Dementia Help, LLC in Harwinton, the amazing people at Farmington Valley Visiting Nurses and their Hospice Team and the Polish Helping Hands of Unionville and especially Ella her primary care giver. 

A celebration of Barb’s life will be held in the spring. Instead of flowers the family requests you consider a donation to the Hartford County 4-H Camp Inc, in care of a wonderful friend, Elsie Woolam at 1225 Main Street, South Windsor, CT  06074 or online at www.hartfordcounty4hcamp.org.  Funk Funeral Home, Bristol, CT is honored to serve the Grindal family. 

Please visit Barb’s memorial website at www.FunkFuneralHome.com.