Barbara M. Vail of Heritage Village died Jan. 27 after a short illness. She was 88. She was born Barbara Meldrum in 1927 in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., and grew up on her parents’ dairy farm in Poughquag, N.Y.
She attended local schools and graduated from Cornell University in 1949. Barbara was a teacher of home economics in the Carmel (N.Y.) public school system from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, and taught at both Carmel High School and at George Fischer Middle School.
She lived in Carmel for some 35 years before retiring to Heritage Village in 2002. She was a long-time member of the Drew United Methodist Church in Carmel. For the last dozen years she was a member of the Woodbury United Methodist Church. She was active with the United Methodist Women through most of her adult life.
Barbara had a long record of personal service to her community. She was an early volunteer for the Kent Public Library in Carmel. She contributed to the founding of the Carmel Teachers Federal Credit Union (now the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union) and was its president in the 1970s.
She supported the Putnam Arts Council, and served as its chair in the 1980s, and was also active with the Putnam Child Care Council. Barbara was a proud member of the Carmel Teachers Association, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO). She volunteered many hours to the Landmarks Preservation Society of Southeast (N.Y.), especially in the project to preserve the historic Walter Brewster House.
In more recent years, she worked to support Meals on Wheels in Southbury. She pursued a life-long interest in gardening and wild life, and was an avid supporter of the National Audubon Society, the World Wildlife Fund, and similar groups. She was passionately devoted to her grandchildren, and especially enjoyed hosting holiday celebrations with them in her home. Her marriage to David H. Vail, of North Salem, N.Y., ended in 1965.
She is survived by her brother, John Meldrum, and his wife Anna, of Mentor, Ohio. She is also survived by four children: David M. Vail of Loveland, Colo.; Thomas H. Vail and his wife Debra of New York City; Bruce H. Vail and his wife Carol Taylor of Baltimore, Md.;, and Catherine L. Vail of New York City. She leaves five grandchildren, Charlotte Rose Vail, Joshua Vail, Nicholas T. Vail, Jason Vail, and Harrison Vail.
A memorial service will be held at the Woodbury United Methodist Church, 4 Church St., on Saturday, March 12, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions should be made in her name to the National Audubon Society or to the Landmarks Preservation Society of Southeast or to Meals on Wheels.
