North Andover - Maud Palmer Barton, 91, beloved wife of Randolph Barton, passed away on Monday, January 26th at Edgewood Retirement Community in North Andover, MA.

Maudy was born in Boston on January 19, 1935, daughter of Wilson and Isabel (Comley) Palmer and lived the first years of her life in Beverly, MA. By age five her family had moved to Marblehead, MA where she learned to sail, first with her parents and then sailing and racing in Herreshoff 12½ boats, winning trophies in competition.

She attended Concord Academy and went on to graduate from Wellesley College. Her enduring friendships from these schools remained important to her throughout her life. During these school years she vacationed with family at Goose Rocks Beach, ME in the summers, building on her love of the seacoast, ocean and wildlife.

Following college, Maudy fell in love with Randolph (Ranny) Barton, also from Marblehead. Their romance continued during Ranny's stint in the army when he was based in Fairbanks, Alaska. Every few months Ranny would send a gold charm to Maudy, each one emblematic of Alaska. She treasured the bracelet as a symbol of their enduring love and wore it on special occasions for the next seven decades.

Ranny and Maudy wed in August 1956 and moved to Virgina where Ranny finished college in Charlottesville. There, in 1957, their first child Robert (Bob) was born. They soon moved north to Beverly Farms, MA where their second son, William (Bill) was born in 1958 and a daughter, Isabel (Izzy) in 1963. In 1974 they moved to their favorite home at the entrance to the harbor in Manchester, MA.

Maudy found her greatest joy in raising a family and creating a happy home and shared family experiences. In summer, the best family adventures were cruising on the New England coast with Maudy making picnics to take ashore, leading blueberry picking or looking for ospreys and eagles. In the winter the family would spend time on Man O War Cay where she helped her children explore the sea and the constellations in the night sky. In spring summer and fall, the family vacationed on Foster Island on the Maine coast; the island became a favorite retreat for Maudy and Ranny in their later years. Maudy became an accomplished sailor doing passages with family between Newfoundland, Bermuda and the Bahamas. She and Ranny would continue cruising into their 80s.

Maudy enjoyed travel and exploring the varied cultures and landscapes of the world. With Ranny she traveled to Antarctica; Vietnam; St. Petersburg, Russia; Belize, Tahiti and beyond. Over the years Maudy volunteered with a variety of organizations that she cared deeply about including Beverly Hospital and the Peabody Essex Museum. She also liked tracing family history back to the arrival of her ancestors in Rowley, MA in the mid-1600s.

Maudy's hallmark was supporting her family with unconditional love.

In addition to her husband, with whom she shared seventy years of marriage, Maudy is survived by two of her children, Robert Barton and his wife, Leslie of Newburyport, MA, William Barton and his wife Annie of Beverly Farms, MA; her son-in-law, Dave Young of Rockport, MA; four grandchildren, Duncan Barton and his wife Emily, Ian Barton and his wife Michelle, Kai Young and Jarrod Young; and two great grandchildren, Rowan Barton and Ellis Barton. She is also survived by her two sisters, Gail Anthony and Janey Palmer. Maudy was predeceased by her daughter Isabel Barton Young.

A celebration of her life will be held at a future date.