Courtyards at Southpoint
Barbara Paradise: 1956 – 2025
Barbara Paradise, a resident of Courtyards of Southpoint and active participant in community events, died peacefully Sept. 23.
Born Sept. 25, 1956, in New Britain, Conn., to Helen and Joseph Ingram, Barbara was the youngest sibling of Margaret Ingram and Joseph Ingram Jr.
She cherished memories of her years at Nathan Hale Junior High and Pulaski High School, where she played in the band and filled a long yearbook entry with her many activities. She graduated from Western Connecticut State College and worked as a medical technologist at Danbury Hospital and the University of North Carolina.
​​Barbara married Edward Paradise in 1978, and together they raised their children, Edward and Renée, in the Hudson Valley before moving in 1992 to North Carolina — a place she came to love as home.
Barbara loved most her family and animals. She supported numerous foster and rescue organizations and brought joy to children by visiting schools with her therapy dog for reading sessions.
She enjoyed Luther Vandross, the Food Network, cooking delicious meals, shopping for a good deal, “St. Elsewhere,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and the Tarheels.
She drove her children thousands of miles to tae kwon do, baseball, basketball and diving practices and competitions. She deeply loved a long line of pets, beginning with her hamster, Dustin Hoffman, and later her dogs, Thelma, Maya, Hailey Bailey and Charlotte.
She made friends wherever she went, from her neighborhood, to her senior center, to the dog park.
Barbara is survived by her sister, Margaret Paonessa; nephews Michael (Becca) and Robert (Christine); her husband, Edward; sister-in-law, Jane; her son, Edward, and daughter-in-law, Kathryn, with grandchildren Harper and Henry; her daughter, Renée, and son-in-law, Chris Finneral, with granddaughter, Margaux; and her beloved animals.