In Loving Memory of Mary Barbara Rolston

Devoted Family Historian, Trailblazing IBM Veteran, and Cherished Matriarch 1930s – 2025

Mary Barbara Rolston, beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully in 2025, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of family devotion, professional achievement, and community engagement.

Born to Harold Burton Rothrock and Mary (née Schumacher) Rothrock, Barbara was the product of a family steeped in resilience and pioneering spirit. Her great-great-grandparents cleared 100 acres in the 1890s in what is now Evansville, Indiana, laying the foundation of a family farm that Barbara would treasure and honor throughout her life. Her mother pursued education in Chico, California and at Purdue University, where she met Barbara's father. Upon his graduation from Purdue in 1933, Harold's career as an electrical engineer led the family on a global adventure—living in 21 locations around the world, including extended years in Indonesia.

Barbara completed most of her high school years in Jakarta, Indonesia, before graduating her senior year in Rockport, Indiana. Her deep roots in Rockport remained a source of connection and pride, as did her lifelong membership in the Rockport Indiana Methodist Church.

A trailblazer in the technology world, Barbara worked for 23 years at IBM's Federal Systems Division in Gaithersburg, Maryland. There she contributed to groundbreaking efforts including the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS), early medical information systems, and the barcode technology that revolutionized commerce. It was there, at the office water cooler, that she met the love of her life, Thomas George Rolston. They married on October 11, 1969, beginning a partnership filled with shared adventures, family joy, and quiet strength. Tom preceded her in death in 2021.

Barbara's interests were as expansive as her life journey. A voracious reader of U.S. history and government, she was deeply involved in Republican Women's Party activities in Maryland and served as a Voting Judge in Calvert County. She had a keen passion for genealogy, antiques, and travel, and was an accomplished pianist. She loved the serenity of sailing and spent many cherished years by the Chesapeake Bay in St. Leonard, Maryland, before moving with Tom to the Charlestown Community in Catonsville, MD, in 2017.

Barbara was a generous spirit, devoted to family and countless charitable causes. Her home was always a sanctuary of knowledge, warmth, and shared stories. She was a crossword and sudoku enthusiast and a dedicated preserver of family history.

She is survived by a loving and extended family, including her grandson Ian Colvin-Snyder (MD); twin nephews Raeburn Rothrock (wife Tracy, CA) and Reed Rothrock (wife Ellyce, CA), along with great nieces and nephews Ryan, Sara, Ava, and Cole Rothrock; niece Caryn McNally (husband Brian, MD) and great nieces Morgan and Lauren McNally.

She is also survived by her stepchildren: Mark Davis Rolston (wife Georgina O'Farrill-Rolston, CA) and grandchildren Adam Timothy-Thomas Rolston, Aslan Evelyn Moffitt-Rolston, and Isabel Davis Rolston; Dorothy (Dory) Rolston Love (husband Tom Love, NM) and grandsons Ryan Davis Love and Shen Liska (and family Brien Schiappa-Dunn); and son William Thomas Rolston (NV).

She was preceded in death by her son Mark Howard Colvin (d. 1987), her parents, and her husband Tom, with whom she shared over five decades of marriage.

Barbara Rolston's life was one of quiet impact, global perspective, and unwavering devotion—to family, faith, and service. Her wisdom, warmth, and curiosity will be profoundly missed but joyfully remembered by all who knew her.

A private family service will be held, with a celebration of life to follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to a charity of your choice—just as Barbara herself so often did.

"Well done, good and faithful servant." – Matthew 25:21