KNOX — Barbara L. Dexter had physical limitations but “no limitations on life,” said her niece Amy Boyt.

She died peacefully on Monday, July 29, 2024, at the age of 85.

One of 11 siblings, she was born on July 31, 1938, the daughter of the late Luther and Minnie (née Gaige) Dexter. Her mother was a homemaker and her father farmed.

“When Aunt Barb was 2 years old, she and several of her siblings contracted polio,” said Ms. Boyt. “It reduced her ability in her left arm and her right leg. She spent time in a hospital downstate. 

“But it never limited her. She traveled with her sister and her brother’s families. She saw Mount Rushmore. She went to the federal Mint building; she visited SeaWorld in Florida.”

After graduating from the Berne-Knox Central School District in 1960, she got a job as a production clerk at The Workshop in Menands. She worked her way up to become a supervisor, said her niece.

Her job right out of high school turned into a 43-year career; she retired in 2003. “Her retirement party was well attended,” said her niece. “She was well loved.”

“In 1979,” her family wrote in a tribute, “Barbara solidified her independence and moved into the O’Neil Apartments of Troy and was the most senior tenant when she moved out in 2022.”

She was a member of the Indoor Sports Club Inc. and of the Knox Reformed Church.

“That’s our family church,” said Ms. Boyt, explaining that her aunt drove herself to the church in Knox in a specially outfitted car that used hand mechanics for braking.

“She was always there before I was there,” said Ms. Boyt.

She also enjoyed camping and traveling with family and friends.

“Barbara had a strong love of family,” the tribute said.

“She was a caring person with a great sense of humor,” said Ms. Boyt. “She loved to laugh and to make other people laugh.”

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Barbara L. Dexter is survived by her sister, Nancy, and her brother, Richard, and his wife, Linda, and by her sisters-in-laws Ruth of the late Charles, and Carol (Tubbs) of the late Robert.

She is also survived by her nieces, Janet Swider and her husband, Craig, Marie Durham and her husband, Leonard, Rachel Sherman, Jennifer Dexter, Amy Boyt, and Melissa Rivenberg and her husband, Timothy; by her nephews, Dennis Dexter, Glen Dexter, William Hofmann, and Brian Dexter and his wife, Maricar; and by many great-nieces and great-nephews.

These siblings died before her: Merlin Dexter who was married to Ilene, Cora Spadaro who was married to Joseph, Mildred Hofmann who was married to John, Charles, Florence, Shirley, Robert, and infant Janet; as did her nephews, Robert, Ronald, and Daniel, and her nieces, Cheryl and Rose; and her dear friends, Patricia, Paul, and John.

Family and friends are invited to visit with her family on Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Fredendall Funeral Home at 199 Main Street in Altamont. A prayer service will immediately follow in the funeral home at 11 a.m. Interment will be in the Dexter family plot in Knox Cemetery following the prayer service.

Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners, 9 Frontage Road, Glenmont, NY 12077. “Shriners,”said Ms. Boyt, “was a huge part of her life.”

— Melissa Hale-Spencer