Farewell & Thank You

The Foxcroft Community remembers former Board of Trustees members.

Barbara Iselin Sears

Barbara Iselin Sears, 100, died peacefully at her home in Hamilton, MA, on August 19, 2022. A member of the Class of 1939, she supported Foxcroft in myriad ways. From serving as a member of Foxcroft’s Board of Trustees (196366) to hosting alumnae events in Boston, imparting the story of her philanthropic journey in Morning Meeting to students, and even attending a summer Foxcroft computer camp for alumnae, Barbara was always willing to share her time, talent, and treasure with her school.

Barbara spent most of her early years in Middleburg, growing up with a menagerie of animals. She and her sister, Nancy, would often ride their ponies to The Hill School, which she attended before matriculating to Foxcroft and then to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. After college, during WWII, she served as a staff assistant to General William J. Donovan, head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), accompanying him to Paris after its liberation from Nazi Germany and then the Nuremberg Trials in 1945. Horses always played an important role in Barbara’s life. She would return to Middleburg every year, often driving her horse van from Hamilton, where she lived with her husband Francis P. Sears, Jr., to foxhunt, a sport she loved. She finally decided at the age of 80 to give up the sport but continued to ride until she was 90. Even after she stopped riding, she made the yearly trek back to Middleburg.

Barbara’s family and Foxcroft have shared a history that spans more than 100 years. Barbara’s mother, Elizabeth Brown Iselin, was one of the first Foxcroft graduates as a member of the Class of 1915. Barbara’s sister Nancy Iselin Marburg 1937 was at Foxcroft with her and they were followed by Barbara’s daughter Nancy Sears Randall 1973, her daughter-in-law Suzanne Harte Sears 1969, nieces Anne Morgan Wiedenmayer 1961,

Elizabeth Morgan Pack 1964, Christine Marburg Wolf 1970, Julie Iselin Diehl 1977, and great niece Amanda Wiedenmayer Wood 1987. All-in-all, the family produced four generations of Foxcroft women.

Barbara learned many of her life’s lessons while at Foxcroft and loved Miss Charlotte. Throughout her life, she was guided by her faith and understanding heart. She was the consummate volunteer, whether for the Bloodmobile, her church, Foxcroft, or just about anywhere else she could help out. She will be missed by all whose lives she touched.

Barbara is survived by her three children, Francis P. Sears, III (Suzanne), Thomas M. Sears, and Nancy S. Randall (Jeffrey), as well as several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Her husband, Francis P. Sears, Jr., died in 2004. Her son, Francis, died not long after his mother.