Barbara A. Petitt

Barbara Ann Petitt, 48, has died after a lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis.

Barbara is survived by her father, Albert Petitt of Laconia, NH, and siblings Andy Petitt of Bladenboro, NC; Susan Sylvester of Brentwood, NH; Christine Barone of Clifton, NJ; Laura Petitt of Davis, CA; twin sister Amy Petitt of Mount Prospect, IL; Jean Gennaro of Cape Neddick, ME and Alan Petitt of NY, NY. Barbara is preceded in death by her brother Mark and sister Ellen, also of Cystic Fibrosis; brother Daniel, and her mother, Katherine Petitt.

Barbara was born on September 17, 1966 in Paterson, NJ, to Albert and Katherine Petitt. She enjoyed a fun and active childhood, growing up in Caldwell, NJ with her twin sister Amy and 8 other siblings. She graduated from James Caldwell High School and Katherine Gibbs School in NJ, and despite her illness, worked full time as an administrative assistant her entire adult life.

Friends and family remember Barbara as amazingly strong with a great sense of humor. Despite spending much of her life battling illness and attending to her own medical needs, she never complained or let that hold her back from living as full a life as she was able. Barbara found humor in the little things in life and kept everyone laughing with her witty perspectives. She loved her family, especially watching the antics of her many nieces and nephews. She loved reading, going to the movies, listening to 70's music and spending time laughing with loved ones.

A funeral mass will be held for Barbara on Wednesday, 12/17/14 at 2:30pm at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Laconia, NH. A memorial service is also being planned for the spring, 2015 in Caldwell, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Cystic Fibrosis Research Inc. (CFRI), 1731 Embarcadero Road, Suite 210, Palo Alto, CA 94303; www.cfri.org. The Petitt family would like to thank the many medical professionals who helped Barbara throughout her life, especially the nursing staff at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.