Obituary of Barbara Jeanne Nugent

Barbara Jeanne Nugent, 86, of Boca Raton, Florida, passed away on December 28, 2025, at Hospice by the Sea from injuries sustained in a fall. Born August 19, 1939, in Troy, New York, she was the last surviving child of Helen Dorsey and Edward Nugent and the fourth of six sisters known as the Nugent Girls: Connie, Shirley, Marilyn, Barbara, Edwina, and Phyllis.

Barbara was the mother of four children, including Neil Pierson Flynn, Rebecca Flynn Thompson, and Andrew Pierson Flynn; grandmother to three beloved granddaughters, Claire Nicole, Carole Danielle Stallmer, and Grace Ellen Flynn; and great-grandmother to three, with a fourth expected in October 2026.

Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew Yacevich, Jr. (1987), and by her former husband, David Expedit Flynn III (2008), the father of her children. She is survived by her life partner, George Misseta.

Barbara was a trailblazing and accomplished professional woman who served as Controller for the Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly until her retirement in 1999. She was also the first woman to serve as treasurer for the City of Troy, holding the position from 1978 to 1995. She began her government career in the 1970s during Troy’s Urban Renewal era, guided by the mentorship of Rensselaer County Democratic Chairman Edward F. McDonough and Democratic Committeeman James P. Ryan. After graduating from Catholic Central High School in 1957, she attended the College of Saint Rose on scholarship. A trained schoolteacher, she later earned her degree from Empire State College after her children were born.

Barbara devoted much of her life to public service. She served on the Rensselaer County Selective Service Board—often joking that, during her post-Vietnam tenure, not one person was drafted—as well as on the Rensselaer County Hospice Board. After retiring to Florida, she volunteered at the Deerfield Beach Public Library and served as treasurer of her Hampton Gardens’ Condominium Association. She continued taking educational courses, including writing classes, until her stroke in 2024. Shortly before that stroke, at age 84, the Palm Beach Post published her letter to the editor about age limits for elected officials.

Throughout her life, Barbara was known as a bon vivant who embraced the world with intellectual curiosity. She met the challenges of her stroke, which left her partially paralyzed on her right side, with grace and dignity. Though she is no longer with us, we take comfort in knowing she has been reunited with our loved ones who went before her.

“And, just at the moment when someone says, ‘There, she is gone,’ there are are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,

‘Here she comes!’”

Gone From My Sight by Henry Van Syke

A mass for Barbara Nugent will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at 8:30 am at St. Augustine’s Church, 25 115^th Street, Troy, New York, 12182.  Following the mass, all are invited to a gathering at the Community Center at Babcock Lake, 11 Lakeview Road, Petersburgh, New York 12138 for a light brunch.

Memorial contributions may be made to your charity of choice in Barbara Nugent’s honor in lieu of flowers.