Barbara A. Silva

Waltham - Mrs. Barbara A. Silva, of Waltham, died Sunday, December 3, 2017 at Newton-Wellesley Center for Alzheimer's Care. She was 96.

Barbara was born in Arlington on November 19, 1921, a daughter of the late John and Amelia (Johnson) Armstrong. She was raised and educated in Arlington where she graduated from Arlington High School.

She was devoted to her family and was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and aunt. Her home on Copley Avenue in Waltham welcomed all and was the popular hangout for all the neighborhood children. She was also a crossing guard for the City of Waltham and decades of children would remember her smiling face. She was an understanding and compassionate woman who was often the go to confidante to her immediate and extended family.

She was the wife of the late John A. Silva and is survived by her children, John R. Silva and his wife, Nancy, of Waltham and Nancy J. Calson and her husband, Jon 'Cal', of Ormond Beach, Florida; her grandchildren, John Silva and his wife, Belinda, of Lincoln, Richard Silva and his wife, Denise, of Waltham, Melanie Mangini and her wife, Allyson, of New Jersey, Shelly Duplessis and her husband, Paul, of Waltham, Steve Calson of Chelmsford and Scott Calson and his girlfriend, Kelly Adams, of Manchester New Hampshire; seven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

She was the sister of the late Mildred, Beatrice, Frances, Gertrude, Jack, Arthur and Robert.

Family and friends will honor and remember Barbara's life by gathering for calling hours in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Saturday, December 9th from 2 to 5 p.m. and will conclude with a service in the funeral home at 5 p.m. Burial will take place at a later date in Westview Cemetery, Lexington.

Memorial donations may be made to Newton-Wellesley Center for Alzheimer's Care, 694 Worcester Street, Wellesley, MA 02482.