Barbara Suchy Mendenhall

Barbara Suchy Mendenhall passed away peacefully in her sleep at her retirement community home in Florida, USA, on 27th October 2026, after a good day enjoying watching opera recordings with a close friend and evincing a hearty appetite at mealtimes.

She is survived by her son, Bill Mendenhall (Marybeth), daughter, Jennifer (Michael Kramer), and five grandchildren: Pierce (Niamh), Luke (Annabel), Henry (Jenna), Toby (Sarah Jane), and Vivian (James). Predeceased by her husband, Ken Mendenhall, and their infant son, Robert Pierce (1968).

Barbara was warm, witty, gracious, and brought a little sparkle into every room she entered. She was born in Newark, New Jersey, a first generation American and the only child of Martha Schneider Suchy and Joseph Suchy, who had emigrated separately in the 1920s from neighboring towns in Germany and found each other on the other side of the Atlantic.

Barbara attended school in Montclair, and Syracuse University, where she pursued an arts degree. She joined the Delta Gamma sorority where she was active in organizing social activities, which was to remain a theme in later life, and where she met Jeannine McLaughlin, who set her up on a date with her brother, and Barbara’s future husband, Ken Mendenhall.

After college, Barbara worked as a designer in New York: her design for a bridesmaid dress was widely sold, and she created a billboard advertisement for a vacuum cleaner that was “quick as a bunny”.

Barbara and Ken married on October 8, 1955, and then drove across the country to San Francisco for Ken’s studies in Law at Stanford. Barbara worked at the explosives research center, Poulter Laboratory, as a secretary while also typing Ken’s law papers. She became pregnant, bringing her employment to an end (those were the days!) and a son, Bill was born in 1957.

Barbara and Ken then moved to NYC. Typically, with a friend Barbara immediately organized a barter system among residents of her Brooklyn apartment building to trade credits for baby-sitting, dog-walking, fixing leaks, stitching drapes and so forth, a system that long outlasted her departure. A daughter, Jennifer, was born in 1960.

Ken’s career took the family to London that year, sailing across the Atlantic on the Flandres. Settling in to expat life in Hampstead, Barbara managed Bill and Jenny’s enrollment in school, entertained Ken’s business colleagues, and volunteered for Syracuse University at their London branch as well as acquiring a handsome but extremely dim Dalmatian dog named Bandy.

Ken and Barbara bought the Old Rectory in East Grafton in 1965 and began their decades-long love affair with English country life. Barbara learned to ride, and hunt, on her beloved horse, Chester. Barbara’s skills as an organizer and gracious hostess came to the fore, hosting many legendary dinner parties at the Old Rectory. When asked to organize the local Hunt Ball for several hundred people she and Ken rose to the task; it was the most successful in living memory. She was as much at home hosting a black tie dinner party as she was passing around a bowl of roast potatoes on a raw February morning in a muddy barn on a Wiltshire farm. Family visitors to England from the US have fond memories of Barbara’s warmth, humor, and generous hospitality.

Barbara continued to paint and draw and raised funds for the local village fair with her popular caricatures. She taught riding classes for the Pony Club while also shuttling back and forth to London. Barbara traveled often with Ken on business trips visiting far-flung countries and meeting people across the globe.

In the late 1980s, Barbara and Ken moved from Wiltshire to Exmoor, where they bought a 60 acre farm where they lived full time for five years. With Barbara’s mother in Florida and Ken’s in Pennsylvania they sold the farm and began over a decade of migration: autumn on Exmoor, spring in Florida; and summer in Pennsylvania, with some time at the Jersey Shore, seeing Bill and Marybeth, Jennifer and Michael, and their families all together.

In 2005 Barbara and Ken joined The Waterford, a Continuing Care Community in Juno Beach, Florida. Barbara became the head of the Food Committee, enjoyed playing tennis and bridge with many friends, as well as exploring the restaurant scene with a fellow Syracuse alumna and former bridesmaid who had come to reside at the Waterford with her husband.

Ken passed away on March 10th, 2015, with Barbara, Bill, and Jennifer at his side.

Barbara forged ahead, as a new widow, traveling to visit family, staying in touch with her five grandchildren, and remaining active in her community. She always had a stack of cards by her dining table, and made sure to write greetings for birthdays, anniversaries, and get well wishes. She was devoted to her children and grandchildren, and shared her earthy sense of humor readily and often with them. Her smile was radiant. She cared about many people, and always tried to help.

Barbara’s journey was an extraordinary trajectory, from first generation American born of German immigrants, to studying art at Syracuse, her marriage to Ken, moving to San Francisco, New York, and then London, the launching pad for global travel and adventures she could not have dreamed of as a child.

Cherished family members include her sister in law, Jeannine McLaughlin (George); nieces, Kathy Sherman (Max), Nancy Bassney (Pat), Megan McLaughlin (Jim Wilkin); nephew, Michael McLaughlin (Kathy); and all the grandchildren; cousin, Gisela Boris; and Schneider and Suchy relatives in Germany.

Our deep gratitude goes to Barbara’s aides Lora Devine, Charleen Laeha, and KellyAnn Pringle, among others, whose attentive care and fondness for Barbara have made them like family, and to the Waterford community for the many friendships and unfailing good will towards our mother.

A memorial service will be held at The Waterford, Juno Beach, Florida, in mid-November. Details to follow.

A memorial service will be held in Kennett Square, PA, in the spring of 2027. Details will be announced on a future date.

Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. of Kennett Square (484-734-8100). To view Barbara's online obituary and leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.