WILTON, Conn. ? Barbara Nason Bowditch, a former Wilton resident who most recently lived in White Township, N.J., died on Sept. 10. She was 87.
Bowditch was born on Feb. 11, 1924, in Philadelphia and grew up in Narbeth, Pa. An exceptional athlete, she played field hockey, basketball and lacrosse at Swarthmore High School.
She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in occupational therapy in 1945 and bachelor's of science in education in 1946. In 1947, she married her high school sweetheart, James P. Bowditch.
The family moved to Wilton in 1956, and Bowditch became actively involved in numerous community affairs, including helping found the Wilton Presbyterian Church. Sports were always "center stage" and the couple was instrumental in starting the Wilton High School boys' lacrosse team. The mid-1970s found Bowditch coaching at Yale and, later, she would coach field hockey and lacrosse at Wilton and Weston high schools.
In 1988, the couple retired to Brunswick, Maine, and for the next 22 years, the Bowdoin College athletic teams became a primary focus.
She is survived by her husband, Jim; sons J. Penn Bowditch Jr. and Peter W. Bowditch; daughters-in-law, Maria K. Bowditch and Wendy A. Bowditch; grandchildren Courtney, Emily, and James P. Bowditch III; and a sister, Shirley N. MacPherson.
A celebratory service is planned for 2012. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Yale Lacrosse Association, Memorium for Barbara Bowditch, P.O. Box 208216, New Haven, CT 06520, or the Polar Bear Athletic Fund, Memorium for Barbara Bowditch, Office of Development, Bowdoin College, 4100 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011.
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