Adele Barden passed away peacefully on April 8, 2026. She was born on October 27, 1925, in Springfield, MA to Jacob and Pauline (Shillin) Apelbaum. Throughout her life, Adele loved to learn. As a student she excelled in her studies, even skipping a grade in elementary school and graduating early from high school at the age of 16.

One of her greatest disappointments was that she was not able to go to college, due to limited family finances. Despite this, Adele never stopped learning. She was an avid reader, participating in book clubs well into her years at Glenmeadow Retirement Community. Adele always kept up with current events, reading multiple newspapers and magazines each week. She could name nearly all officials of local, state, and national government, both elected and appointed. She loved games and puzzles and was still able to beat her children at Scrabble well into her nineties.

Adele had close lifelong friendships with other women - friends who supported each other through the happiest and saddest of times. Later in Adele's life, many of these friends ended up living at Glenmeadow; a fact so remarkable that it became the subject of a column by a Boston Globe reporter.

Adele knew both joy and hardship in her life. She was married and widowed twice. She married Leon Horowitz at the age of 22 and they had two children, Carole and Nancy. Leon tragically died less than ten years later in 1957 at the age of 39.

Five years after Leon's death, Adele married Samuel Barden, and they had two children together, Amy and Paul. The family suffered another tragedy when Sam died in 1977 at the age of 47. Despite these tragedies, she was always there to love and care for her children.

She maintained close and loving relationships with the extended families of both of her husbands whom she and the children loved and who deeply loved them as well.

Adele worked full or part-time for much of her adult life, primarily as a bookkeeper at Security Windows in West Springfield, a business started by her husband Leon. She made good friends there and maintained those contacts for much of her life. She also found time to volunteer with the Temple Beth El Sisterhood, the Temple Beth El gift shop, the Council of Jewish Women, and in later years in the gift shop at the former Jewish Nursing Home.

While Adele had much sorrow, she never failed to cherish the blessings she had, especially her children Carole Horowitz (Rick Last) of Florence, MA; Nancy Horowitz (Philip Ross) of Roslindale, MA; Amy Barden of Springfield, MA; and Paul Barden of Los Angeles, CA; and her grandchildren Jacob Last of Portland, OR; Noah Last of Colombia, South America; Leah Forrant of Los Angeles, CA; and Nathan Forrant of Cranston, RI.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, she also leaves her brother Joseph Apelbaum, 97, of Newton, MA, her nieces and nephews, and their children. Her sister, Shirley Aliber, died in 1982.

For the last 18 years, Adele lived at Glenmeadow Retirement Community in Longmeadow. Our family is so grateful to the staff for the loving care she received there, especially at the end of her life.

Adele will be remembered for her kindness, her positive attitude, her strength, and her enduring interest in the world around her, qualities she retained no matter what challenges she faced. Though she spent much of her life caring for others, she rarely complained, even when she was ill. Her memory will be a blessing to all who knew her.

Funeral services will be held at Asher-Zimmerman Funeral Home on Friday, April 10, at 2:00 p.m., with burial to follow immediately after. The family warmly invites all friends and family to join them for a meal and celebration of Adele's life at Glenmeadow in Longmeadow, MA, from 5:30 p.m. on. We'll also gather at Glenmeadow from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

If you wish to make a donation to honor Adele's life, please consider The American Civil Liberties Union (https://action.aclu.org/give/now), the Alzheimer's Association (https://www.alz.org), or a charity of your choice. No flowers please.