Barbara Ann (Sheff) Tocci, 64, passed away Sunday afternoon, March 27, 2022, in Charlottesville, joining the Lord, along with her daughter Caitlin, son Patrick, and father and mother in heaven. She was born on September 28, 1957, in Buffalo, New York, and raised in neighboring Hamburg. Barbara was educated at St. Peter and Paul School, and Immaculata Academy, graduating in 1975. She studied animal husbandry at Alfred State College (NY), before moving Lexington, Massachusetts to start a riding school; eventually taking up the trade of cobbler – the prettiest cobbler ever.
It was in Lexington where she met her husband, Michael, at Sacred Heart Church where they were both teaching religious education. They were married at that church in September 1982 and had seven children.
Leaving New England, they laid roots in Central Virginia in 1994, most recently in the Scottsville community, where they raised their family of six sons. She continued to use a wealth of skills and knowledge throughout her life raising milk goats for freshly homemade soaps, riding horses, and training dogs on the family homestead. Barbara was active for several years as a real estate agent in the Scottsville area and was active in the Chamber of Commerce and Farmers’ Market, until health issues forced her to curtail these.
Barb was a bold, uncompromising follower of Jesus. She was an author, herbalist, fierce friend, devoted wife and mother, and a loving Nana and Gammy.
Michael and Barbara were married for thirty-nine and half years and created a joyful life together, homeschooling their children and living naturally. She was very knowledgeable about herbal medicine and was never without a suggestion for a natural remedy for anyone who ailed, or a shoulder to lean on when in need. She will always be missed, until that Great Day. Maranatha.
She is survived by her brother Donald Sheff and sister Patricia Sheff, her dear husband Michael, her five sons and their families; Michael Jedidiah and his wife Danielle, of Hopkinton, New Hampshire and their three children Gideon Michael, Cailtin Danielle, and Evelyn Rose; James Joseph and his wife Rachael, of Palmyra, Virginia, and their daughter Lilah Grace; Andrew Marc and his wife Summer, of Scottsville, and their two daughters, Bronwyn Leigh and Helen Jean; Samuel Patrick Anthony and his wife Adeline of Palmyra; and youngest son, Myles Robert Lee, of Scottsville. Barbara’s brother-in-law William Tocci is also a member of the Tocci’s Scottsville household.
A funeral service will be conducted at 1:00 pm Saturday, April 2, 2022 at the Tocci family homestead at 2332 Antioch Road by Father Dan Malcolm of All Saints Anglican Church. Interment will follow as Barbara is laid to rest beside her son Patrick. A reception for friends and family will be held at the homestead immediately after.
The family received friends from 5:00 until 7:00 pm, Friday, April 1st 2022 at Thacker Brothers Scottsville Funeral Home.
Family and friends may share memories at www.thackerbrothers.com