Barbara Lucille (Fowler) Cowley, of Acton, MA, died peacefully at her home with her family by her side on Wednesday, June 19, 2013. She was 94. Born in Cambridge and raised in Arlington, she was the daughter of the late William B. and Gertrude F. (Ball) Fowler. As a young woman, Barbara performed in a number of theatre productions, and as stage assistant for her brother Dick's professional magic act, often traveling to distant states. Following secretarial school, Barb worked from home, then was employed as a typist for Pilgrim Press in Boston. In the early 1960s she was a linotypist for The Beacon newspaper in Maynard. In the mid 1960s, Barbara began a career as a medical secretary for Dr. Fay in Concord, followed by 20 years in the office of Dr. Charles Keevil in Lincoln. She then worked as a medical transcriptionist for the Concord Hillside Medical Association for 15 years before retiring at the age of 80. Upon retirement, Barbara continued to be involved in many aspects of community service: volunteering for the MA Commission for the Blind transcribing books to large print versions, the Minuteman National Park bookstore in Concord, and the Acton Council on Aging. As well, Barbara volunteered, and then was employed by the West Acton Citizen's Library. Barbara was an avid reader and valued education, music and the arts. An active member of The Massachusetts Society of Genealogy, this passion fueled her to create an intensive study of her family lineage reaching back many generations. She was skilled at quilting, drawing and painting, knitting and needlework, and had wonderful memories of summers as a child at "The Little House", her aunt and uncle's cottage in Truro on Cape Cod. She is best remembered by her family as skillfully balancing her work life and interests around raising her four children. Mrs. Cowley is survived by 3 of her 4 children: William E. Cowley III and wife, Yvonne of Casa Grande, AZ, Richard B. Cowley and wife, Janet of Acton, MA, and Marion L. Overgaard and husband, Eric of Erving, MA; 6 grandchildren: Jenith and William E. Cowley IV, Rebecca and Lia Cowley, Katharine and Chelsea Overgaard; a step-grandson Sean Bolton; and many great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter, Jacqueline B. Freeman, her sister Marion Symonds, brothers Winthrop and Richard Fowler and her former husband, William E. Cowley, Jr. Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of life on August 17, 2013 at the South Acton Congregational Church, 35 School St., South Acton. Interment will be at the convenience of the family in Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The West Acton Citizen's Library, 21 Windsor Ave., Acton, MA 01720 or The Friends of the Acton Council on Aging, P.O. Box 2006, Acton, MA 01720. For more information and online condolences, please visit www.actonfuneralhome.com.