Barbara Jaquis

Another angel has joined the ranks. Barbara Lee (Clark) Jaquis, 79, of Lake Clear, NY passed away on June 30, 2021, at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, NY. She was born in Saranac Lake, NY on May 16, 1942, the daughter of Donald and Nora (Minney) Clark.

Barbara was predeceased by her husband, Harold Jaquis, and survived by her two daughters and their husbands, Caron and Francis Powers, and Deborah and Scott Dragoon. Caron was also Barbara’s caregiver.

She is also survived by her only granddaughter, Jennifer Ball and her husband, Ryan Ball. Her great grandchildren include: Katherine Willett, Nolan Ball, Alivia Balestrino-Ball, and Lilyann, Rosalee, and Jasper Powers. Her granddaughter and great grandchildren kept her going.

She is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Bonnie Ohmann and David Porter, sister-in-law, Barbara Joy Jaquis, and brother-in-law and sister-in-law, George and Shirley Townsend. Several nieces and nephews also survive and include: Kim Webb, Willie Prue, Michael Townsend, Jeanne Shannon, Pamela Imes, and Christopher Jaquis and their families. Several cousins also survive her.

She was predeceased by Rose Prue, her sister, and William Clark, her brother. Her brothers-in-law, Louis Prue, Dickie Jaquis, and William Jaquis, her sister-in-law, Peggy Townsend, and nephews, William Jaquis, Jr., and George Townsend, IV also predeceased her.

Barbara was mostly a stay-at-home Mom while raising her two daughters except for summers when she catered and cleaned for the summer people of the Adirondacks. Barbara was an accomplished cook following the lead from her parents. Barbara’s mother, Nora, operated Nora’s Corner Snack Bar in the Saranac Lake (Lake Clear) Airport from late 1970’s to 1980. It was her mother’s dream to operate the snack bar through the Olympics. Barbara took over the management of the snack bar when her mother became ill with cancer and fulfilled her mother’s dream. Barbara’s role was to wait on patrons but her favorite activity was getting autographs and swapping pins. Barbara showed her kind and generous heart characteristic of her small-town Adirondack nature when she bailed out a helicopter pilot during the Olympics. He was unable to pay a fine when he illegally landed his helicopter in Lake Placid. Barbara covered the fee and trusted the man to repay the money. This is just one example of her kind nature.

Barbara studied and received her GED in 1985 after quitting school in 11th grade to help with the family income. She joked with her daughter, Deborah, and told her she was going to be her roommate the next semester. She didn’t join her but she did enroll in some classes at NCCC. She subsequently worked for the USPS in Paul Smiths for 14 years until her retirement.

Barbara loved her family especially her granddaughter and the great grandchildren, the Yankees, bowling, computer games, fishing, traveling, knitting, and reading. Her small frame and short stature allowed her to get right on the ground to play with her great grandchildren. She taught her daughter Caron to sew and her daughter Deborah and granddaughter Jennifer to cook. And her Yankees – they were her personal friends. Nipper took her to see the Yankees and that was a huge memory for her. One of the last TV shows she watched was her Yankees game. She was cheering them on as though she were in the stadium with them. She was an avid bowler and achieved the goal of picking up the 4/7 and 6/10 split despite only having one eye. She met several people through the internet playing her computer games. One of the ladies became a special friend, Rose. She and her husband came to visit and Barbara visited Rose after Harold passed. Barbara and Harold’s first date was night crawling. She enjoyed fishing especially for bullhead. Barbara’s lifelong dream was to go to Hawaii. In 2019, her daughter Caron made that possible. They sailed around and toured the islands enjoying everything it had to offer. And her knitting will always be a fond memory for all of us. Her handcrafted sweaters will continue to warm her family and friends for years to come. Her daughter Deborah is continuing with her knitting legacy.

Barbara was also taken care of by her special friends, Sharon and Gifford Hosler, Michael and Carla Shanty, Lynn Boyd, Elwin and Charlotte Hall, and Bill and Regan LeVair. They were her guardian angels after Harold passed. The family is grateful for the care and comfort bestowed upon our mother.

Barbara, our Angel, will once again be able to hear Harold utter those last two words, “Yes Dear”.

Funeral arrangements are in care of Fortune-Keough Funeral Home, 20 Church Street, Saranac Lake, NY. Friends wishing to remember Barbara are invited to join the family from 4-7 pm on Thursday July 8th at the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home. The funeral will take place on Friday July 9th at 11:00 am at the Harrietstown Cemetery in Saranac Lake, NY. Family and friends may also share a memory, leave a condolence and sign the on-line guest book at www.fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com.