Obituary: Barbara B. Swan, 82, Of Clinton

Information and photo via Swan Funeral Home

Barbara B. Swan "Pinky", 82 of Rangeley, Maine formerly of Clinton, CT, passed away after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease on December 18, 2018 at Water’s Edge Health and Rehabilitation Center in Middletown, CT.

She was born as the “original” Barbara Bush, her claim to fame, in Guilford, CT on April 11, 1936 to Blanche (Bush) Whittaker and Col. Raymond E. Bush. Barbara attended and graduated from Guilford Public Schools. She was employed at the Shoreline Clinic in Essex, CT as a paraprofessional in the outpatient psychiatric services center after attending and graduating with her Associates Degree from Middlesex Community College.

In 1982, she started work for the Town of Clinton in the health department until she accepted a clerk’s position in the Planning and Zoning Department. After receiving training, finishing state examinations and being certified she would accept her post as Planning and Zoning and Wetlands Enforcement Officer for the Town of Clinton from 1985 to 1996.

In 1996, Barbara retired to Rangeley, Maine where she resided until returning to Clinton in 2016. She spent retirement enjoying her volunteer work at the Rangeley Library and the serving as the Episcopal Church secretary. Her time was also spent enjoying her passion for sewing, gardening and making new friends on “her Mountain”.

Barbara was predeceased by her parents and older brother, Herbert Bush. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Geraldine Bush of Rangeley, Maine and her niece Peg (Bush) Bartosiak of Killingworth, CT. In addition, she is survived by her three sons, John E (Jack) Klausen of Sochi, Russia and his three children, Artem Madgazin, Thor and Erik Klausen, Jeffrey (Patricia) Klausen of Clinton, CT and their three children, Tabitha Klausen, Hope Klausen and Julia (Klausen) King, and Raymond E. (Amy) Swan, Sr of Clinton and their two children, Olivia Swan and Raymond E. Swan, Jr.

The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Mary Ellen Ierardi, formerly of The Shoreline of Clinton and the entire staff at Water’s Edge Health and Rehabilitation Center in Middletown for the excellent care and concern they expressed during her illness. An additional thank you to her former neighbors Nancy and Dave Douglas from Rangeley, Maine for always being there when we could not. Friends may greet the family on Thursday, Jan. 3, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Swan Funeral Home, 80 E. Main St., Clinton, CT 06413. In lieu of flowers a tribute donation can be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America in her name.

For more information and to leave online condolences, visit Swan Funeral Home here.