Barbara Stetson Fritjofson

ORANGE, VT - Barbara Stetson Fritjofson, 89, of Lord’s Road, passed away Wednesday, February 17, 2016, at Woodridge Nursing Home in Berlin, with her family at her bedside.
Born on May 30, 1926, in Brooklyn, NY, she was the daughter of Raymond and Emily (Pollock) Stetson. She attended schools in Brooklyn, graduating in 1944. For the next 12 years, she worked as a fashion model for Eileen Ford Modeling Agency. She graced the covers of several magazines, including Seventeen, Mademoiselle, and Modern Bride.
In 1949, she married her high-school sweetheart Kenneth Fritjofson. They lived in Oceanside, NY, then moved to Barre, VT, in 1967 where Ken served as Superintendent of the Barre Town school district. In 1970, he went into the ministry full time and they returned to Long Island, where they ministered at Calvary Baptist Church in Port Jefferson Station for 20 years.
In 1989, Barbara and Ken returned to Vermont and made their home in Orange, where Ken was pastor of the Orange Alliance Church (now Christ Community Alliance Church) for another ten years. Barbara served faithfully in church activities and in support of her husband’s ministry.
Throughout her life, she was a dedicated Christian and faithful prayer warrior. Her gracious and gentle nature touched all those she knew. She dedicated herself to being a wife and mother. She loved opera and gardening and found her greatest pleasure in spending time with her children and grandchildren. Ken and Barbara enjoyed 54 years of marriage and were totally devoted to one another.
Barbara was predeceased by her husband, Kenneth, who died in 2003 and by a brother, Raymond Thomas Stetson.
She is survived by her sister, Marjorie (and Richard) DiDonato of Poughquag, NY, and her four children, Brynne (and William) Reed of Orange; Kenneth Jr. (and Claudia) of Orange; Erik (and Cindy) of Memphis, TN; and Paul (and Joanna) of West Granby, CT. She also leaves twelve grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 27, at 11:00 a.m. at Christ Community Alliance Church on Route 302 in Orange. A reception will follow at the Orange Town Hall across the road from the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Greta Home and Academy, a part of Samaritan’s Purse International Relief. This can be done through http://bit.ly/1Q3Otuq or by calling 1-800-528-1980.