Barbara grew up in a large extended family that was a significant part of the close-knit traditional Jewish community in Newport News. She was a 1952 graduate of Newport News High School and received her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary.
Barbara was a patron of the arts. She was a published local, regional, and national poet and author, conducted readings and workshops, and was in the Tidewater Writers Association, Virginia Writers Club, and Poetry Society of Virginia. She was a pioneer of the Lab Center for Reading which set the foundation for Resource Rooms in Newport News. She owned and operated Write it Right and Louraine Publishers. Barbara served on the Advisory Board for the Writers Conferences at Christopher Newport University and established the Barbara Drucker Smith Endowed Honors Scholarship.
She sang with the Virginia Choral Society and performed at Carnegie Hall. She also participated in the Yoder Barn folk operas, composed classical piano arrangements, and released three CDs entitled Barbarina.
Barbara was a certified hypnotherapist, an active member of Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research & Enlightenment in Virginia Beach, and a participant in the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapy. She also founded her own practice, Hip Hip Hypnotherapy.
Barbara served as a docent at The Mariners’ Museum and Park and welcomed audiences as an usher at the Ferguson Center. She belonged to the Cadillac & LaSalle Club and dedicated many years to volunteering with Contact Peninsula. She was also a lifelong member of Rodef Sholom Temple and the National Council of Jewish Women. Barbara was an avid traveler who explored the world and its many cultures.
Barbara is survived by her son, Eric Drucker Smith (Carol Brighton) and grandchildren, Riley, Louis, Chelsea, and Max; her daughter, Lisa Loraine Smith (Jerry Gips) and granddaughter, Anya; and Barbara’s beloved partner, L. Nelson Farley. She is predeceased by her parents A. Louis and Loraine Drucker, and her brothers Erwin and Stanley.
In lieu of flowers, please donate in Barbara’s memory to your favorite charity or to the Barbara Drucker Smith Endowed Honors Scholarship, by mail to Christopher Newport University Attn: Keith Roots 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, VA 23606, online at www.advancement.cnu.edu/portal/give and designate “Barbara Drucker Smith Endowed Honors Scholarship,” or call the CNU Advancement Offices at 757-594-0581
Barbara will always be remembered as an extremely ebullient, spiritual, and creative individual. She will be deeply missed.
The funeral will take place on Tuesday, August 12th at 11:15am at Rodef Sholom Temple in Newport News, VA.
Following the service, the burial will be at the Jewish Cemetery of the Virginia Peninsula in Hampton.
Peninsula Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
9 Comments
Dear Lisa and family,
I’m so sorry for your loss, and to hear of the passing of one of my very favorite people. What an amazing, warm and wonderful person Barbara was. What a fun time we had together. You have a fantastic family, and she let me be a part of it. I was so honored. Barbara was an accomplished, but always deeply humble person of the sweetest nature. I continue to be in awe of all that she did, and how she lived her life. She always had time for others; she was always involved, and always learning. I will miss swimming with you, Barbara, and listening to our favorite violinists. I love the Smith family.
I was impressed by Barbara’s great smile & joyful presence. Although we met only briefly, she left a lasting impression. We were blessed to be with her for a while.
Learning about Barbara’s leave-taking today, August 11, 2025, when hundreds of meteors will streak through the skies tonight, as they do each year, seemed timely somehow. Barbara was like that: a glad burst of light to all of us, brightening our world. When she and Nelson visited the A.R.E. we always put them on the front row where they liked to sit (the better to see and hear their favorite speakers.) They also sat in on our Friday Study Group where we sometimes used Nelson’s book as our discussion text. Reading her list of accomplishments was its own incredible experience. My husband Jack and I knew Barbara through the Poetry Society of Virginia. She read for many of our Open Mics and was a prolific poet. But that smile, that wonderful, warming smile that reached across many a room and drew you to her – that was her signature. We have lost a dear friend, but oh, what a wonderful friendship. Our deepest condolences on your very great loss. Judith Stevens, A.R.E. Outreach and Jack Callan, Little River Poetry Festival Co-Founder, Floyd, Virginia
Barbara was an amazing and delightful individual. We will miss her in VCS. My heartfelt condolences to the family.
Eric –
Eric & Lisa –
Thinking of you and your families and your electric, eclectic, infectious Mom, Barbara! – What a joy to have known her during childhood and beyond!
What a bright soul that graced this Earth. My sincerest sympathies to the family.
She was so willing to participate in so many local organizations. It was as if she didn’t want to miss anything. We could use more like her.
Lois Winter
From my family to yours, wishing you peace, comfort, and strength in the days ahead.
Dear Eric and Lisa, and all the Drucker-Smith family,
Please accept our condolences on Barbara’s passing. She has been such a vital presence in the world of poetry and the arts that things will not seem the same without her. Yet, her impact remains in all of us, as an inspiration to respond to the muse as she did, openly, to share generously, and to encourage one another along the way. I will remember her always for her kind and supportive presence. God bless you with warm memories and peace.
Sofia and Bill