Barbara M. Boynton

Scarborough – Barbara M. (Doughty) Boynton, 92, passed away on January 28, 2026, at her home. Barbara was born on March 29, 1933, in Portland, daughter of the late Philip Doughty Sr. and Sarah (Nally) Locker.

She had a special relationship with her immigrant grandparents, Patrick and Delia Nally, who raised her in the Irish West End neighborhood, where she attended Saint Dominic’s School and Parish. She graduated from Portland High School and Gray’s Business College.

For nearly 60 years, she was married to the love of her life, William (Bill) Boynton, with whom she raised six children in their Yarmouth home. They shared a long, loving relationship full of laughs, affection, and April Fools’ Day pranks (on him). One of their most cherished traditions when the kids were young was camping for long stretches every summer with their close friends, the Perron family.

She spent more than a decade working for L.L. Bean, retiring in 1989, and outfitted family members with jackets and slippers on every birthday and Christmas for decades more. After her retirement, she and Bill embarked on numerous road trips across the country and enjoyed their regular visits to Foxwoods. A lifelong Catholic whose faith meant a great deal to her, Barbara was a longtime parishioner at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Scarborough.

She was reflexively generous and fiercely devoted to her loved ones. It was obvious to all who knew her that her greatest joy was doting on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She hosted countless holidays and birthday parties, cooked elaborate and delicious meals for a full house without breaking a sweat, and considered it a personal failing if you didn’t leave her house absolutely stuffed. She (correctly) named her molasses chocolate chip cookies as one of her greatest achievements. She was a speedy crossword solver, a prolific reader, sharp as a tack, and never shy with an opinion. She will be so greatly missed.

Barbara was predeceased by her sister, Patricia Palmer; and beloved nephew, Michael Keenan. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Bill; children, Pamela and her husband Steve Collins, Thomas and his wife Barbara McCabe, Kathleen McCabe and her partner David Conrad, Diane McCabe, Karen and her husband John Johnston, and Kristen Boynton Hirsch; grandchildren, Jason Batchelor, Patrick Batchelor, Allison Starr, Jody McDaid, Tyler Collins, Andrea Theriault, Jessica Meahl, Nikolle Heuer, Evan Johnston, Hannah Johnston, Simon Hirsch, and Alayna Hirsch; great-grandchildren, Lola, Lex, Ryder, Shea, Carlie, Charlize, Calla, Connor, Andrew, Emelia, Van, Rose, Maeve, and Lyra; sister Ginny Soule; brothers Peter, Robert, and Paul Doughty; sister-in-law, Elizabeth Boynton; and many dear friends and extended family members.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Hospice of Southern Maine and the caregivers who looked after Barbara in her final days.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11am on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, 150 Black Point Rd, Scarborough.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Barbara’s memory to the South Portland Food Cupboard, 443 Western Ave., South Portland, ME 04106.