Barbara Burk Quinnell

Barbara Alice Burk (Quinnell), 72, departed this life on June 27, 2024 in New Milford, CT.  She was born in Miami, FL on February 16, 1952, the first child of Alice Bonezzi Burk (1924-2014) and Forrest Orville Burk (1925-2015).

In 1963, she moved with her family, which now included two sisters, to Cape Canaveral, FL. There, she enjoyed the beach, friends she made at Cocoa Beach High School, and early jobs as a server, then a dental assistant. After graduating in 1969, she enrolled at Florida State University, where she became a lifelong Seminole fan.

Her marriage to Robert Wollkind took her to New Milford, CT, where she raised her children, became involved in the community as a town council person, finished a degree in mathematics at Western Connecticut State University, and began a series of jobs in medical offices. Her keen insight and organizational acumen led her to progressively responsible jobs in the offices of dentists and allergists.

Barbara learned throughout her life, and never encountered a problem she couldn’t at least try to solve, usually successfully. When she wasn’t fixing appliances, she might have been baking beautiful cakes or sewing intricate costumes for family and friends, surely singing along to oldies as she did. She had a great sense of humor, but little patience for people who seemed to not care for the community, and so fought fiercely for local issues such as stopping a potentially harmful pipeline from being built near a school.

She is survived by her loving husband of 26 years, Bill Quinnell (1945), and his son, Will (1973). She will be sorely missed by her children: Steven Robert Wollkind (1979, Boston, MA), Amy Burk Wollkind Negro (1981, Bougue, France, spouse Nico Negro), and Diana Alice Wollkind (1983, New York, NY), as well as grandchildren Chloe Barbara Negro (2009) and Raphael Negro (2012). Also mourning her passing are sisters Carolyn Mary Burk (1955; Mark Hutchins) and Nancy Burk Berkley (1957), and several nephews and nieces. 

Barbara was a remarkable, multi-talented woman. The world is poorer for her loss, and she will always be held in high regard in the memories of those who were lucky enough to know her.