Barbara Marsilius Link

Barbara Marsilius Link, was born and grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut and passed away at her home in Providence, Rhode Island after a five-year battle with cancer. She was predeceased by her parents, Newman Jr., and Marie (Kuechle) Marsilius; her brother, Newman Marsilius III, her nephew, William Barendse, her grandniece, Annie Bourque, and her former husband, John W. Link III. She is survived by her sisters Diane (Robert) Nicholls and Kathy Bourque; her partner, Colin Millar; sister-in-law Sandra Marsilius; nieces and nephews, Newman (Jennifer) Marsilius IV, Christian (Jennifers) Marsilius, Peter Barendse, Andrew (Kelsie) Bourque, Dana Bourque, and Alexa Bourque; grandniece, Morgan Marsilius and grandnephews, Chase Marsilius and Maxwell Marsilius.

Barbara earned her undergraduate degree at McGill University in Montreal and her graduate degree in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard School of Design. She married and while living in Houston, Texas, founded the Texas Environmental Center and fundraised for the first environmental library in the United States. Moving to Washington DC she became the Director of the National Environmental Education Foundation under the George H.W. Bush Administration.

In the last 20 years of her working life, she found the greatest happiness in creating Agraria, her organic farm in Rehoboth, MA.  Barbara kept bees, raised chickens, and grew many unusual varieties of fruits and vegetables.  She returned to her love of rowing, meeting many new friends, “the Pepperoni” at the Narragansett Boat Club.  Barbara was a lifelong learner. She belonged to both The Handicraft Club and Providence Art Club where she pursued her love of the arts. Throughout her life, including her final years, Barbara was passionate about traveling the world.

She showed great courage and grace during her of cancer treatment and was unfailingly grateful and kind to her medical teams and family. In her last days, the hospice nurses, her partner, Colin, and her sisters enabled her to be at home enjoying time with her friends, family and her Jack Russell terrier, Spencer.

A memorial service in her honor will be held in the Redwood Chapel at Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island on Friday, July 14, 2023 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to OCRA – Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.

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