Obituary of Elizabeth Barker Vinal

Elizabeth (Liz) Barker Vinal, long time resident of Duxbury, passed away on April 19 at the age of 87. Liz was married to the late Albert Vinal Jr. and was the mother of the late Brent Vinal Smith. She is survived by her daughter, Peggy and husband, Bob Mosher, of Hingham, MA and her daughter, Vicki and husband, Tom McGrath, of Methuen, MA. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. Liz was born in Springfield, Illinois, but lived in many places before settling in Duxbury in the 1950s. This included living in many Spanish-speaking countries, where she began her life-long passion for the Spanish language. Liz attributed her love of travel and ease in meeting new people with this transient lifestyle during her childhood. Liz graduated from Wellesley College in 1944 majoring in Spanish. She used her Spanish skills to teach and tutor, and always included Spanish-speaking countries in her itinerary when she traveled. Liz capitalized on the childcare classes she took at Wellesley when she opened Captain’s Hill Nursery School in her home in 1962 where she was teacher/director for 15 years. After retiring from teaching, Liz turned her interest in antiques and collectibles into a new career and became well known on the South Shore for her expertise in sought after collectibles. Liz was always a dancer! She especially loved tap dancing, modern dance, square dancing and ballroom dancing. At Wellesley College she was a member of the Dance Club. In Duxbury she was a member of Bay Players and took part in the Legion Shows. Liz participated in and taught line dancing for the Duxbury Senior Center and with her fellow residents at the Village of Duxbury. Visiting Hours are scheduled at the Shepherd Funeral Home 216 Main St. (Rte 106) Kingston on Wednesday, April 21st from 3-7 pm. A private burial service will be held at Mayflower Cemetery in Duxbury. A memorial service to celebrate Liz’s life will be held in the Meeting Room at the Village at Duxbury on Saturday, May 15th at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Cranberry Hospice 36 Cordage Park Circle Suite 326 Plymouth, MA 02360.