Barbara Helen Thurlow

Thurlow, Barbara Helen, 89, born June 10, 1934, in Stoneham, MA, died March 17, 2024, in Hendersonville, NC. She was a member of the Fletcher Church. Barbara attended Browning Memorial Grade School through the 6th grade. Her family then relocated to Takoma Park, MD, where she finished grade school at Sligo Elementary School and graduated from Takoma Academy. She attended Washington Missionary College and graduated with a BSN in nursing. Barbara’s first missionary assignment was at Oneida Mountain Hospital in Kentucky, where she served as a “Jeep nurse,” working in various capacities. She later served in Nicaragua at a small hospital and school of nursing near LaTrinidad, mastering Spanish en route. Barbara returned to the U.S. to pursue her master’s in nursing at Loma Linda and then taught at Bella Vista Hospital in Puerto Rico. She later earned her MSN from Vanderbilt University and continued teaching and serving in various nursing roles in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Barbara’s career spanned multiple states and countries, demonstrating her dedication to nursing and education. She was preceded in death by her parents, Burrl and Malcolm Thurlow, and her sister, Cynthia Wetmore. She is survived by her brother, Malcolm Thurlow Jr., of Gaithersburg, MD; nieces, Dr. Deborah Thurlow (Recardo), of Silver Spring, MD, and Dolly Sills (Eric), of Lenhartsville, PA; nephews, Don Wetmore (Susan), of Hendersonville, NC, David Wetmore (Verna), of Spokane, WA, Calvin Wetmore (Carol), of Greeneville, TN, and Thomas Wetmore (Heidi), of Silver Spring, MD; nine great-nieces and great-nephews; and several great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews.