Barbara Anne Burgess

Barbara came into the world on December 14, 1936… screaming. She needed no slap on the bottom to get going. As her mother waited to hold her newborn, she heard a resonant voice inside her head whisper, "brace yourself Mama, this one's a pistol.”

Barbara was the third of four children born to Dolly and Al Burgess. Throughout Barbara’s childhood, the family roamed New England following assignments from the textile company Al worked for. Dolly, Irish by birth, raised her children in the Catholic faith, though Barbara ultimately followed her own inner compass. Once out of the family home and enroute to college, she escaped the shackles her mother had put her in and focused on her education and professional goals.

During the 1950s it was unusual for a woman to attend college, but Barbara wasn’t daunted. She entered Pembroke College, then graduated from Brown University in 1958 with a BA in English Literature. She moved to Boston to work at John Hancock Insurance, a company she would stay with throughout her entire career. She started in Human Resources, then 16 years later, transferred to the Government Relations Department. She decided to pursue a law degree and enrolled in night classes at Suffolk Law School. Halfway through the 3-year program, she saw a Hancock job posting for a lobbyist in the Massachusetts Legislature. She applied, and although they were looking for a practicing lawyer, Barbara argued that she would soon be one. She got the job.

From there, Barbara steamrolled her way to the position of Vice President and Director of the Washington Representative Office. For this phase of her career, she split her time between Boston and Washington D.C., where she lobbied on issues that affected Hancock: she helped keep life insurance products free of taxes, she got long-term care insurance recognized by regulators as a valid product, and when a Supreme Court ruling disadvantaged Hancock’s pension product, Barbara was instrumental in getting legislation implemented that altered the Court’s impact on the plan. She also played a major role in securing Hancock a license to sell insurance in China. Barbara’s professional success was propelled by her agility in telling other people how to think and what to do. She loved her work and wasn’t bothered by the often-parodied reputation of being a lobbyist for the insurance industry. She retired, much to her dismay, in 2001.

Love came late in life for Barbara. She was in her 40s when she met John Dinkelspiel, whom she lovingly called “Poopsie.” His sharp mind and coiffed goatee attracted her immediately – and what a pair they were! From Boston to Charleston to London, Venice, Rome… they traveled extensively and lived large with a cocktail in one hand and a cigar inthe other. They particularly enjoyed theatre and opera performances, and over the years amassed an impressive art collection. Most importantly, they laughed – they had a fabulous life together. When John retired in 1996, they moved to Seabrook Island, SC, following his desire to live by the water. Barbara, a city girl at heart, made the best of it and found ways to keep herself busy.

Together, Barbara and John were active participants in the Charleston arts scene, including Charleston Stage and Charleston Jazz. Barbara served on the boards of the SeaIsland Habitat for Humanity, the World Affairs Council of Charleston, and the South Carolina Legal Defense Fund. She taught Advocacy Law at the University of South Carolina Law School. She paid homage to her long-lost Catholic heritage by volunteering with Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery near Moncks Corner, where she gave tours and advised on marketing issues. One notable idea she had was a campaign to sell the monks’chickens’ poop as fertilizer under the name “Holy Shit.” Sadly, the monks didn’t go for it.

Image was important to Barbara. Her hair was always coiffed, and her nails brightly manicured. In her working years, she dressed in Chanel or St. John’s Knit, but in retirement she opted for more comfortable options – Eileen Fischer was a favorite. On a trip to Venice, Italy, she discovered Ottica Urbani, an optical boutique where she purchased what would become her signature eyewear: thick colorful round specs that would have made Iris Apfel proud. She bought 6 pairs in different hues to go with everything in her wardrobe.

John died in 2013, and widowhood was difficult for Barbara. She missed him terribly. But with time, she pulled herself together and found new projects to get involved in. She wrote for Seabrooker magazine as well as Tidelines, the Seabrook Island blog, and she volunteered for the Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, or as Barbara called it, “the Miracle on Maybank.” But her proudest accomplishment by far was co-founding Seabrook Island Village, a non-profit providing services to help aging community members live independently. In her later years, Barbara received Village services herself as she willfully aged in place, refusing to ever contemplate moving to “one of those places.”

At age 85, Barbara was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal lung disease that tethered her from then on to an oxygen machine. The following years saw a steady declinein her physical abilities, though she fought mightily to avoid any visual trappings of “old age” – especially walkers and the dreaded wheelchair. While her short-term memory faded, she remained quick-witted and potty-mouthed. And she was seemingly impervious to insult or injury… it stunned friends and family to see how quickly she would rebound from falls or sharp whacks to the head. Her main complaint in life was boredom, which she did her best to appease with NYT’s Spelling Bee, British comedies, and news updates – although Trump cast a horrific pall on those.

Her passing was thankfully peaceful. Poopsie was undoubtedly waiting on the other side with open arms as she finally got out of that damn hospital bed to lounge in a comfy club chair like the queen that she was.

Barbara was predeceased by both parents and all her siblings (Howard Burgess, Marilyn Burgess Powell, and Patsy Burgess), as well as her beloved husband. 

She is survived by one niece (Maggie Powell), as well as two stepchildren and two step-grandchildren.

A private service will be held for family and friends, replete with Pinot Grigio and sassy jokes. In lieu of flowers, Barbara had requested donations go to Seabrook Island Village(www.seabrookislandvillage.org), Mepkin Abbey (www.mepkinabbey.org/donate), or the Democratic party (www.democrats.org/donations).