Dolores J. Bare

Dolores J. Bare (Smith), 94, passed away surrounded by love and appreciation on March 29, 2022, at her caregiver’s home in Andover after a rapid decline in health. She was born December 10, 1927, in Meno, Oklahoma to Jonas and Elizabeth Smith (Eck). 

Dolores was the seventh child of eleven and grew up in Enid, Oklahoma in a Mennonite community before moving to Southern California in her late teens. She married Bernard “Barney” C. Bare in 1945 and raised three children –Daniel, Steven, and Teresa---in Long Beach, California. While raising her children and then welcoming five granddaughters, she created a beautiful home and owned a small interior design business and then an antique shop at their weekend cabin called The Bare’s Den in Forest Falls, California. Dolores and Barney retired and moved to New Hampshire in 1981 to fulfill a life-long dream to own and live in an antique home while taking trips and drives all over the backroads of New England.  They often participated in area parades with their Model A and Model T automobiles. 

Dolores loved singing and used her angelic soprano voice as part of her lifelong devotion to God. She was a part of many church choirs and was often a featured soloist. She sang one of her last solos on August 20, 2017, at the age of 89 and her voice still brought awe and joy to all who attended that sunny morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o50icM26Fz0 . 

 Affectionately known as “Grandma Bare” to many, as that is how she introduced herself to all who met her the last 40 years of her life, she will be lovingly remembered and missed by her sons and five granddaughters and all those who knew and loved her. She was larger than life and an inspiration for her strength, dependability, creativity, independence, devotion to family, iconic red lipstick and turquoise jewelry, Halloween home-made popcorn balls, devotion to pie and See’s candy, booming voice, easy laugh, and her beautiful historic home that felt like stepping into the late-1700’s. 

She is survived by her sons, Daniel Bare of Kirby, WY and his partner Bernadette D’Ace, Steven Bare and his wife, Suzy Bare of Foley, AL; her granddaughters, Danna Bare of Springfield, VT and her partner Bill Wightman of Sunapee, NH, Michelle Martin (Bare) and her husband, Michael Martin of Huntington Beach, CA, Sandi Bare of Beverly Hills, CA, Amy Christensen and her partner Bryan Cordova of West Jordan, Utah, and Karen Carson and her husband Ryan Carson of South Jordan, Utah. She leaves behind 8 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren. 

Dolores was predeceased by her husband Barney in 2007, and daughter Teresa in 2012 as well as nine of her siblings. 

A funeral service will be held at Franklin Congregational Christian Church, 47 S. Main St., Franklin, NH on Thursday, April 21. The service begins at 10 AM with a viewing at 9:30 AM and burial directly after at the NH State Veteran’s Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, in Boscawen, NH.