The Rev Ingrid Barrett

The Reverend Ingrid Barrett’s life was defined by her relationship to her family, her Lord, and her community.

Whether riding a burro down the Grand Canyon with her children, heli-skiing in Canada with her husband, or sailing on the Shrewsbury River with her brother, she found joy in this space where her family, God, and an engagement with the world came together.

Ingrid proved herself to be an athlete from an early age when she won a field race wearing a fluffy blue dress while in grade school in New Jersey. At Mills College in California, she was a member of crew team and twice won gold in the national championships for women’s single sculls and setting a record for the 500 meter race that stood unbeaten for years. After college she ran almost daily for 50 years, entering many road races and four marathons, including the Boston Marathon. She and her husband played golf together regularly, and she enjoyed skiing in Vail with her family for decades.

After marrying her husband Bill in 1971, they eventually settled in Dover, Massachusetts where they raised their four children. Ingrid was most fulfilled when she had her whole family seated at the table to share a meal, despite the chaos that would inevitably ensue. Once she attempted to turn a chocolate fountain into a ketchup fountain for the amusement of her grandchildren. It failed, but hilarity ensued. She was a loving and devoted mother, ferrying her children to activities and getting involved with their events and their studies. Once she and they played in the rain, stomping in puddles until they had soaked their clothing completely.

Ingrid was also devoted to her community and was a member of many town groups. She was a member of the Fox Hill Garden Club for 42 years. With the Garden Club of America, she participated in cultural exchanges to Cuba and South Africa and served on the GCA’s scholarship committee.

Ingrid felt a strong calling to serve the Lord, and she did this in myriad ways. She trained to become an EMT for the town of Dover, volunteered at the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, wrote curriculum for the Dover Church Sunday School program, and eventually went on to earn her divinity degree so that she could minister both to whole congregations as well as small groups.

She was widely travelled and visited over 50 countries, including Monaco with her husband for their 50th anniversary.

Ingrid’s life was full of family, faith, and friends. She was blessed to have a deep and broad array of life experiences.

She is survived by her older brother, Niels M. Johnsen of New Jersey, and her husband Bill Barrett. She was mother to Christina Robida of Sherborn, Elizabeth Gardner of Billerica, Jonathan Barrett of Portland, Oregon, and Brooks Barrett of South Boston, Massachusetts. She was grandmother to eight grandchildren.

Ingrid’s memoir, Reflections From A Clay Jar, shares her experiences of faith and God. If you would like to see life through her eyes, Ingrid’s book is available on Amazon.

To make a donation in honor of Ingrid’s life and memory, please give to Women’s Lunch Place in lieu of sending flowers. You can donate by credit card on their Tribute page or by check to P.O. Box 170900, Boston, MA 02117.  https://womenslunchplace.org