Obituary of Barbara Shatley

Barbara “Bobbie” Shatley, 83, of Schenectady, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2021 at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. Barbara was born in Schenectady, NY to Eugene and Mary (nee’ Pawenski) Szczepanski on November 10, 1937. As a child, she proudly learned Polish from her grandmother, and graduated from Nott Terrace High School in 1955. She was self-employed doing fundraising for charitable organizations for over 20 years. She loved traveling but hated flying. She was the designated driver on road trips with her girlfriends, much to their chagrin. (Everyone made it home safely.) She lived life the way she wanted. She’d order a pork chop at a seafood restaurant in Greece in spite of advice from others. She loved to have fun, laugh and spend time with family and friends. Barbara is preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Hermann Messmore; her parents Eugene (Lottie) Szczepanski and Mary (Earl) Crevier; her aunt Regina “Jeannie” (nee’ Szczepanski) Bojarski; her uncle Roman Szczepanski; her aunt Helen (nee’ Pawenski) Oreshan; her uncle Edward Pawenski; her son-in law Christos Christodoulou; her dear friend Fran (nee’ Snyder) Bennett. Barbara is survived by her loving husband Charles Shatley; her children Sherry (nee’ Messmore) Christodoulou, James (Crystal) Messmore, David (Christina) Messmore, and Eugene “Mitch” Messmore; her grandchildren Carissa (Haran) Yaffe, George (Sarah) Christodoulou, Nick (Lori) Christodoulou, Gabrielle (John) Hart, James Messmore Jr., Samuel Messmore; her great-grandchildren Olivia Yaffe, Audrey Yaffe, Julien Yaffe, Madeline Hart, and Maximilian Hart; her step-children Gerald (Vickie) Shatley, Kevin (Carol) Shatley, Lorraine (Gary) Westervelt; her step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; adopted daughter Sue (Rick) Allrich; and friends including her dearest childhood friends Carole (John) Davis and Yvonne (Michael) Sgambelluri; Joanne and John Cooper of Manilla, IN. Visitation will be from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Thursday, July 22, 2021 at Jones Funeral Home, 1503 Union St. (at McClellan St.), Schenectady, NY 12309. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM, Friday, July 23, 2021 at the Church of St. Adalbert, 550 Lansing Street, Schenectady, NY. Burial will follow at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Waterford, NY.