Naugatuck – Valdon Tina (Schmitt) Barrere of Naugatuck, died peacefully Saturday, April 15, 2017, with family by her side after a long courageous battle with POEMS Syndrome. She was the wife of Gary Barrere for 35 years.
Valdon was born October 4, 1949 in Bridgeport, CT, the daughter of the late Donald Schmitt and the late Valentina (Kolton) Schmidt.
She graduated from Shelton High School in 1967 and studied at Waterbury State Technical College. Aside from being a devoted wife, mother and homemaker, she formerly worked as a real estate agent and then later as a business owner of Long Meadow Café in Naugatuck for 25 + years. She was a long time resident of Naugatuck.
Aside from her love for her family, she loved animals and when she was younger contemplated being a veterinarian herself. She was very passionate about supporting the local animal rescue shelters with annual donations and being a mom to her cats “Kimmie” and “Tux”. She also found time to find homes for stray cats when she could not take them in herself. Her heart of gold and generosity spoke for itself to those who knew her.
Along with her passion for animals, Val was an avid reader. Some of her other hobbies included needlepoint and stitchery, crosswords puzzles and a great interest in her collectibles. Her favorite of all was her extensive collection of over 350 teddy bears. Each one had a special meaning to her and a special moment in time. She had a love for the ocean and gardening in her yard. She enjoyed taking long drives to see the autumn foliage and wouldn’t miss a year if she could help it.
She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
Besides her husband, she leaves a daughter, Tina Janson and her husband Kurt of Middlebury, a brother, Daniel Schmitt and his wife Susan of Caswell Beach, NC and a niece and nephew. She was predeceased by her step-father Paul Schmidt.
Calling hours will be Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 4:00 to 7:00 pm at the Buckmiller Thurston Mengacci Funeral Home, 82 Fairview Avenue, Naugatuck. Memorial Service and burial will be private.
The family requests absolutely no flowers. Memorial Contributions can be made to The Little Guild of St. Francis, 285 Sharon Goshen Turnpike, West Cornwall, CT 06796, 860-672-6346, www.littleguild.org.

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