Around town: Jan. 9

Condolences

Barbara Catherine Nolfi, a fiery champion of women’s rights and justice for all, died peacefully in the presence of her beloved partner Don on the beautiful, warm fall day of September 29, 2024. Barbara’s life was an extraordinary journey of service, vision, implementation and realization that led to a better life for many Vermonters.

As an inspired trailblazer, she was a founder of Earthworks Commune in Franklin, Vermont, as well as key Burlington institutions: the Onion River Food Coop, the People’s Free Clinic (now the Community Health Centers), the Burlington Women’s Health Center, and Burlington Cohousing East Village as well as the Charlotte Family Health Center. She served as a Progressive Burlington City Counselor for eight years and Burlington Parks and Recreation Commissioner for 12. The main stories of Barbara’s adult life are of solidarity with women and children, and of valuing collective living even in the face of its numerous (and often humorous) challenges.

Barbara was born in Bryan, Texas on July 28, 1942, the second child of Fredrick Macintosh Smith and Catherine Klein. She was proud of being an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) nation through her father’s family. She grew up in rural Oklahoma and in Southern California, studying for two years at Pomona College, then finishing her bachelor’s at the University of California, Berkeley, where she met Jim Nolfi. In 1968, in Salmon Creek, Calif., Barbara gave birth to their son Dylan. Barbara and Jim moved to Vermont in 1969 — the year of Woodstock — where Jim had a teaching job with the University oof Vermont’s zoology department.

The following year Barbara entered a major period of personal growth and radicalization when she and Jim moved to the Earthworks Commune. At the commune, Barbara realized the value of living together and sharing resources. She described this period of her life as being “freed up from the loneliness of being a young mom by living with other women and children.” “Smashing monogamy” was part of the 60s culture and Barbara and Jim’s marriage did not survive. At the same time, Barbara became an organizer of Free Vermont, a collective of “communards” who brainstormed ideas for improving the lives of Vermonters. Their top priorities were creating food coops and health care for all. In 1971, she became a founder and ultimately a staff member of the People’s Free Clinic. With the help of sympathetic doctors, she received training as a home birth midwife. With Dr. Richard (Bunky) Bernstein and others, she founded the Charlotte Family Health Center. It was there, with Bunky’s help, that she became certified as a physician’s assistant. She also expanded her midwifery practice and, over the course of seven years, assisted with the birth of more than 100 babies.

Barbara stayed steadfast in her commitment to helping improve the lives of all people. In addition to parenting her young son, working in a clinic and practicing as a midwife, she also found the time to work with others to create the Onion River Food Co-op, which opened in 1973. She went on to sit on the board of the Co-op, and served on the finance committee for over a decade.

When Dylan was in eighth Grade, Barbara began attending the University of Vermont’s nursing school, graduating with her nursing degree in 1983. The previous year, she had met Don Schramm, through postings in Single Vermonters. Don brought his 4-year-old daughter, Hannah, into the new relationship. Don and Barbara, throughout 42 years together, continued to feel that they had won the lottery by finding each other. They cherished their close relationship and their blended family.

In addition to her work as a nurse on the pediatrics ward in Mary Fletcher Hospital, Barbara began working with Don at Data Systems, where she learned how to program complex accounting systems. Later she served as a traveling physician’s assistant for Planned Parenthood of Vermont.

In 1989, she and Don, with several others, began the process of creating a cohousing community in Burlington. After 17 long years of persistence, they finally succeeded and moved into Burlington Cohousing East Village in 2007 where they lived together for the rest of her life.

Barbara loved the outdoors. Anything one did was better done outdoors. She swam, walked, camped, hiked, fished, biked, canoed and gardened. She loved watching and listening to birds and finding wild flowers in the woods. She was happy just sitting on a stream bank listening to the water. She always knew what phase the moon was in and would often get up in the middle of the night and go out and look at the moon.

Though Barbara was hammered with various ailments in the last few years of her life, such as atypical Parkinson’s and multiple myeloma, it was ultimately a stroke that took her quickly and quietly away from us. She was buried at Burlington Cohousing on Friday, Oct. 4, in a grave that her fellow cohousers, family members and several friends helped dig. She didn’t necessarily want to be the first green burial at Cohousing (and she certainly didn’t condone cutting in line), but the circumstances were unavoidable.

Barbara is survived by her sister Janet Kawelo and brother-in-law Galbraith Kawelo, both in Kailua, Hawaii; her son Dylan Nolfi, daughter-in-law Ariana Makau, grandchildren Billie Nolfi-Makau and Melina Nolfi-Makau all in Oakland, California; step-daughter Hannah Murray, step-son-in-law Steve Murray, granddaughters Grace Murray and Caroline Murray all in Concord, New Hampshire. She is also survived by innumerable friends, Cohousing neighbors and comrades too many to name individually.

A celebration of Barbara’s Life will be at 2 p.m., Dec. 7, at Main Street Landing’s Film House. Those who wish to express their sympathy by supporting a cause dear to Barbara’s heart are invited to consider a donation to the Community Health Centers.