METHUEN - Barbara V. (Davidson) Dembitz passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 1, 2017, at her home at Methuen Village Assisted Living, surrounded by people who loved her.

Barbara was born in New Rochelle, New York on May 10, 1923 to Alfred and Vera Davidson. She attended Cornell University and graduated from a New York City college. After graduation, she worked for a short time as an insurance claims investigator.

Barbara met, fell in love with, and married the man of her dreams, Anthony Dembitz, a dashing soldier who returned from the war. Tony was a charming, sweet man with a great sense of humor. Barbara said one of the reasons she married him was that he made her laugh so hard she would "wet her pants!" They had a fabulous marriage that lasted 62 years.

Barbara and Tony raised their family in North Merrick, a town on Long Island, 30 minutes from the ocean and the famous Jones Beach. Barbara did not want to sit home while Tony was manufacturing lampshades in Manhattan. She became a legal secretary at a law firm, Immerman & Pearlman, for over 20 years. She actually was a "silent partner" in the firm and kept Stanley and Ike in their places. When Barbara was not working, she loved movies, theater, fine dining and spending time with her two sons, Andrew and Kenny. When the boys were younger, she was very involved and supportive of their athletic interests. She never missed a wrestling match that Kenny competed in or a football game that Andy was getting hurt in. Barbara loved baseball, with the New York Yankees being her team. She had a major league crush on Roger Maris, the home run king of his day. She also loved tennis and is well-remembered for "stalking" tennis star Guillermo Vilas in 1977 at the U.S. Open after his stunning victory over Jimmy Conners, knocking on Guillermo's limo window to say hi and get his autograph.

Barbara and Tony eventually moved to White Plains, New York when they became empty-nesters. She began playing bridge, often several times a week. Barbara loved to chat and found a passion in teaching conversational English to the wives of Japanese businessmen. She developed several close relationships with some of these women and stayed in touch with them for many years. Barbara and Tony also loved to travel the world and had many exotic trips.

Sons Andy and Kenny eventually met the "women of their dreams," Marla (Bark) and Maureen (Kelley). Barbara was very involved and supportive of her daughters-in-law. She became a grandma on August 10, 1989, when Alexandra Bark Dembitz came into this world. She loved being grandmother to Alexandra and witnessed many of her milestones, undeterred by the 1,000-mile trip to the "Windy City" Chicago. Of note, Delta Airlines also loved Barbara.

Barbara and Tony moved to Haverhill, Massachusetts in August of 2008 to be close to family. They continued to enjoy dining out and frequent family parties, and the slower pace of Haverhill suited them both just fine. When Tony passed away on May 6, 2011, Barbara moved to assisted living. Her time at Methuen Village was engaging and happy, and she made many friends of the staff, who loved and cared for Barbara like she was their own. The family would like to extend very special, heart-felt thanks to the staff in the memory assistance unit of Methuen Village for the professional care given and the personal affection showered on Barbara. You gave her life purpose, interest and joy.

Perhaps most telling of Barbara's best qualities of being loving, caring, intelligent, funny, and fiercely loyal, is the number of quality friendships in her life. She was blessed with an enviable cadre of life-long friends who all committed to staying close for 60, 70, even 85 years. Until the day Barbara passed away, the stream of calls, cards, and news from her girlhood friend Marilyn Feinberg, her long-time friend Ruth Silverman, and her dear friends Hiroshi and Chiyoko Morimoto always brought a sparkle to Barbara's eyes and a smile to her lips.

Besides her children, Andrew and Marla (Bark) Dembitz of Deerfield, IL and Kenneth and Maureen (Kelley) Dembitz of Haverhill, MA, and her granddaughter Alexandra Bark Dembitz of Chicago, IL, Barbara leaves several nephews, grand-nephews and nieces, and her large extended families of the Dembitzes in Illinois and the Kelleys in Massachusetts.

Barbara is predeceased by: her mother Vera, her father Alfred, her step mother Lillian, her brother Alfred, and her half-sister Elaine Barruch.

On November 4th, as granddaughter Alexandra walks down the aisle with her own "man of her dreams," Adam Stillman, we are certain Barbara and Tony will be right there in spirit.

The family is finalizing plans for a July 29, 2017 "celebration" party in honor of Barbara Dembitz's wonderful life and accomplishments. If you wish to receive updates on the final plans, please email ( MaureenKD@comcast.net ) or call or text Maureen at (978) 289-7003. Also, if you would like to make a donation in Barbara's memory, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association: www.alz.org . For online guestbook, please visit www.driscollcares.com