Elaine C. Barrett

Elaine Fabian Barrett, 84, of Forest Hill, Md., died on March 22, 2021, following a long illness. Elaine was born on July 18, 1936, the only child of Martin and Margaret (Baran) Fabian, and grew up within a huge extended family in Plymouth, Pa.
Elaine recognized that music would be her core passion in life when she was 4 years old and tenaciously pursued it, buying her first piano and starting lessons at the age of 8. A 1954 graduate of Plymouth High School, Elaine entered Wilkes College on a music scholarship achieved through high grades and a flawless performance of Debussyʼs Clair de Lune. During her college years, Elaine worked as a summer waitress in Wildwood, N.J., where she shared some of the best times of her life with her sister-friend Ruth (Diaz) Young.
Elaine married Charles Patrick Barrett at St. Stephenʼs in Plymouth on October 10, 1959, and the couple then moved to Maryland. Elaine continued with piano there, eventually teaching all six of her children, hundreds of other children (and many adults), and to her great joy, her grandson Marco.
Elaine completed her degree in education once her youngest children were school age and was a frequent substitute teacher in Harford County public schools. Elaine attended St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Hickory, Md., where she taught CCD and lent her musical talents for many years. She was also a member of the Harford County Piano Teachers Association and an enthusiastic lifelong learner. As her children reached adulthood, Elaine embraced the opportunity to travel and enjoyed trips to Germany, Austria, the Bahamas, Alaska, and many other states.
During her life, Elaine endured tragic losses, including the sudden deaths of her daughter Lisa in 1968 and her son Mark in 1982. She was sustained by her devout faith, drawing strength from Psalms 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” On this foundation, she supported Charles through his 25-year struggle against Parkinsonʼs disease and endured the grief of losing him in July 2016.
Elaine could not have been a more loyal or fiercer advocate for her husband, her family, her friends, or the causes she believed in. The tenacity that earned 4-year-old Elaine her beloved piano did not abate over the next 80 years.
Elaine is survived by children Jennifer (Tom) Riley, Julia (John Marquart) Barrett, Brenda Nolasco, and Matt (Tina) Barrett; grandchildren Thomas (Nicole) Schneider, Nick (Micheala) Riley, Fiona (Sam) Berndt, Sean and Kira Marquart, Marco Nolasco, and Pennie and Pippi Cochran; and great-grandchildren Jack and Dexter Schneider and Lenora Riley. In addition, Elaine leaves behind her sister-friend Ruth Young; cousins Dorothy Cresko, Jerry Fabian, and many others; sisters-in-law Maureen Morgan and Anne Maher; brother-in-law Ed Barrett; and a multitude of nieces and nephews.
Elaine’s children express their deep appreciation to her neighbors Scott and Beth Hunsinger for their invaluable friendship; Celine Goins for her cheerful assistance; and Amedicsys Hospice for the compassionate care in the last weeks.
Jennifer, Julia, and Matt also appreciate Brenda providing a cozy, music-filled haven for Elaine over the last 6 months. Brenda navigated everything from health care bureaucracy to the pandemic with a tenacity that would do Elaine proud. Elaine passed in comfort in the company of her children and a beautiful piano sonata.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 9:30am from the Metcalfe Shaver Kopcza Funeral Home Inc. 504 Wyoming Avenue Wyoming with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am in St. Monica’s Parish 363 West 8th Street West Wyoming, Pa 18644 with Father Peter Tomczak celebrant.
Interment will be in St. Stephen’s Cemetery, Lehman Twp.
Friends may call Friday 5-8 in the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, Elaine’s children request donations to organizations that their mom supported, including Doctors Without Borders and the Parkinson’s Foundation, or any organization that would honor her memory.
For more information of to send condolences please visit us at www.metcalfeshaver.com.