Barbara L. Pomeroy

Barbara Lesser Pomeroy, 90, of Hudson, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2024. Barbara was born on September 12, 1933 to Carrie and Max Lesser in Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother passed away when Barbara was an infant, and she grew up with her father and brother Victor, graduating from Cleveland Heights High School in 1951 and attending classes at Kent State University and Cleveland College.

Barbara had a rich and varied life. She was an avid reader and theater lover, great tennis player, world traveler and home chef extraordinaire. After living in the Cleveland area for over 40 years, Barbara and her husband Harlan moved their family to the Washington, DC area, where she served on the Boards and/or volunteered with Goodwill, the USO and the presidential campaign of then Senator John Glenn. She was active in the theater throughout her life, as a writer and producer, and was particularly fond of political satire. In the early 1980s, Barbara worked with The Capitol Steps, supporting the comedy troupe’s annual performances in Washington, DC. 

In the early 1990s, not long after Harlan’s retirement and their move to Sarasota, FL, Barbara and Harlan began a new chapter, living for months at a time in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Romania and Kosovo. While Harlan provided guidance on legal systems to former Eastern Bloc countries, Barbara joined Radio Vitosha/Voice of America as a news anchor. She also reported for the radio station, writing and sharing feature stories about the lives of expatriates living in Bulgaria at the time. During their time in Kosovo, Barbara conducted interviews with and wrote about Albanian women and their experiences in the region’s brutal conflict. Barbara moved back to Ohio in 2007, settling in Hudson where she remained active in the arts and as a member of the Redwood Book Club.

Barbara loved life, her family and her many close friends. She was curious about the world and took a particular interest in young people, from the many friends and colleagues with whom she and Harlan worked in Eastern Europe to her grandchildren, all of whom she adored.

Barbara is predeceased by her husband Harlan, who passed away in 2003. She is survived by her brother Victor Lesser; children Peter Klein, Bob Pomeroy, Carrie Pomeroy and Harlan (Tripp) Pomeroy III; grandchildren Dexter Thompson-Pomeroy, Isabel Thompson-Pomeroy, Maria Sol Pomeroy, Harlan (Hugh) Pomeroy IV and Cora Fisher; great grandson Miles Dean-Thompson; nieces Lindsay Jones, Louise Dempsey, Hilary Blair and Cathy Lesser-Mansfield; nephews Jeffrey Lesser and Bruce and Mark Blair; cousins Marilyn and Chris Langmack, and other extended family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice of the Western Reserve, to which the Pomeroy Family is eternally and deeply grateful for their loving and professional care of Barbara at the end of her life. A private celebration of life for family and friends is being planned for a later date.