Barbara Ann (Warpula) Fanning, 89, of Melbourne, FL passed away peacefully
early Friday morning, June 14, 2019 with her husband by her side.
She was born in Lunenburg, MA on March 21, 1930 to the late Eva (Ranne)
Warpula and Matti Warpula. A first generation American, Barbara spoke fluent
Finnish. She was an avid basketball player and skier growing up. She played
Varsity Basketball throughout high school and was very proud of her high school
team and their winning of the Massachusetts State Championship in 1947. In fact,
they were the first girls' team to ever play in Boston Garden before a Celtics
game. Barbara was recently inducted into the Lunenburg Athletic Hall of Fame.
Barbara and John were married November 20, 1976 and resided in Leominster,
MA until they retired in 1996 to Melbourne, FL.
Barbara also loved skiing, golfing, ballroom dancing, bridge, and travelling with
her husband and friends. Barbara and John combined their love of travel with
sports and enjoyed skiing all over New England and later in Europe in the Italian
Alps. They were long time members of the BPOE (Elks) Leominster, MA and then
Melbourne, FL.
Barbara loved her family and all family functions. She was often seen on the
sidelines of baseball, soccer, and basketball games cheering on her grandsons and
younger cousins. Annual trips to Falmouth, MA with her grandsons and her
husband's nephews and nieces were cherished events. Barbara enjoyed many
hours with her nieces doing crafts. Her artistic gifts included oil painting and many
of her paintings still hang in her Florida home.
Barbara had a career in banking and was the Assistant Treasurer and Loan Officer
for Workers Credit Union in Fitchburg, MA, which is where she met her future
husband, John. She really enjoyed her career and used her talent in linguistics to
translate for Finnish patrons.
Barbara is preceded in death by her parents, beloved brother Einard "Sonny"
Warpula and sister-in-law Marjorie "Marge" Warpula. She leaves to cherish her
memory, her husband of 43 years, John "Jack" Fanning, her son Stuart "Gary"
Johnson (Cathy), grandsons Corey Johnson (Jenny), Joshua Johnson (Erica), great
granddaughters Josalyn and Raina, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and
cousins.
There will be no services held here locally. A celebration of life is planned for a
later date in Lunenburg, MA