Barbara Ann Wegener Heavers of Towson, Maryland, passed away peacefully on June 30, 2026 at the age of 82. She was born to Robert and Josephine Wegener, in Norfolk, Virginia. After studying biology at Old Dominion College, she earned a doctorate in zoology at the University of Rhode Island. She married the late Richard Michael Heavers, and together they shared 40 wonderful years on their farm in Charlestown, Rhode Island.

Barbara lived life to the fullest, balancing a distinguished teaching career with life on the farm. She taught biology and served as chair of the science department at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island for many years. She inspired a generation of students to care deeply about the natural world and demonstrated through her own choices how to live in harmony with the earth. After retiring from teaching, Barbara earned a masters of fine arts degree in painting from Rhode Island School of Design and was active in the Rhode Island art community.

As a longtime member of Christ the King Church, Kingston, RI, Barbara served as a Sunday school teacher and lector. A founding member of the Meadowbrook Waldorf School of Rhode Island, Barbara loved being active in the community, on the farm, in the classroom, in the art studio, and in nature. She was a runner, a swimmer, a hiker, a pancake and pie maker, a gardener, a builder, a woodworker, and a quilter. Barbara knit, painted, read aloud and coached. Her piano playing filled the room with joy. She was a beachcomber, a shark catcher, and a shepherdess. For over three decades, Barbara sent the sheared sheep wool from Sweet Hollow Farm to Barlettyarns, and weaving and knitting with wool from her own sheep was one of her many passions. Barbara won canoe races, summited high peaks, downhill skied, and traveled the world. She successfully fought the construction of a nuclear powerplant on the now Ninigret Wildlife Refuge, and advocated for the protection of open space in Charlestown, Rhode Island, as an elected member of the town planning committee. A woman of many talents, Barbara has left a profound legacy through her art, teaching, farming, and love of life.

Barbara leaves behind her beloved three children and their families: Katherine M. Heavers and Frank Devine of Hopewell, NJ, and their children Nate and Éamonn; Nathan M. Heavers and Katie Jamieson of Princeton, NJ, and their children Anne, Bridget, and Michael, Ian R. and Rachel Heavers of Baltimore, and their children Ellen and Robert, and a beloved sister, Mary Ann Henderson of Baltimore.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Charlestown Land Trust at https://charlestownlandtrust.org/contact-us/