Barbara Combes Buchanan of Milford, Pa., and Chester, Conn., passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, in Essex, Conn., surrounded by her family, after complications due to a fall. She was 91.
Mrs. Buchanan was born in the Bronx, N.Y., on April 24, 1928, to William Harrison Combes and Mary Eleanor Combes (nee Angyalfy). She graduated high school from The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, N.Y. After graduating from Marymount University in Tarrytown, N.Y., with a degree in English, she taught nursery school in Larchmont, N.Y., where her family resided. In October 1951, Miss Combes married Harry Winters Buchanan III of New York and they settled in Larchmont.
Mrs. Buchanan dedicated her life to her family. As a young family, they moved to Natick, Mass., so that her husband could attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Sloan Fellow. They then settled in Milford at Cliff Park, where they were among the fifth generation of Buchanans to live on the property for over 50 years.
Mrs. Buchanan raised six children with a focus on family, her Catholic faith, and the importance of education. She filled the house with music, literature, and fun. While Mr. Buchanan traveled for work, Mrs. Buchanan provided a graciously welcoming presence at Cliff Park Inn and Golf Course, a business that had been started by Mr. Buchanan’s grandmother in 1913.
In 1966, Mrs. and Mr. Buchanan moved their family to Portsmouth, Va., for Mr. Buchanan to become President and Chairman of the Board of the Virginia Chemicals Corporation. They returned to Cliff Park each summer and most holidays, ultimately returning full time in 1983.
Mrs. Buchanan regularly entertained friends and business associates and accompanied her husband on business trips around the world. An avid reader and lover of the well-written word, in 1988, at 60, Mrs. Buchanan opened Mill Run Booksellers, the first independent bookstore in Milford with well-curated books and gifts. The inaugural book signing was with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt for his book "Angela’s Ashes." For 20 years, Mrs. Buchanan ran Mill Run, a treasured local destination.
Mrs. Buchanan belonged to The Union League Club of New York and had an apartment in the city. Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan were married for 58 years.
Survivors include her sons, Harry Winters IV, M.D., of Allentown, Bruce Stewart and his wife, Laura, of New York, N.Y., and Brien Combes and his wife, Jennifer, of Milford; daughters, Cathleen Joan and her husband, Anthony Barri, M.D., of Old Lyme, Conn., Virginia Gail and her husband, Brian Myer, of Matamoras, Pa., and Mary Ann and her husband, Pete Sacripanti, of Purcellville, Va.; 20 grandchildren; and beloved Combes nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Harry Winters Buchanan III; her sister, Joan Combes Paz; her brother, William Harrison Combes, Jr.; and her grandson Luke Lawson Buchanan.
Visitation will be held on Friday, Dec. 20, in Fulton-Theroux Funeral Home, 13 Beckwith Lane, Old Lyme, Conn., at 9 a.m. to form a procession for a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in Saint John’s Church, 161 Main St., Old Saybrook, Conn.
A graveside service will be held at the Milford Cemetery in Milford on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Maryknoll Society at maryknollsociety.org or call 888-627-9566.