Barbara “Bootsie” Mandel, the former first lady of Maryland, died at her home on Dec. 11, 2023. She was 103.
Mandel, who was Jewish, was best known for her political life while married to the late former Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel, as well as for her impact on the lives of her family and friends.
She was born on Maryland Day in 1920 and raised in Baltimore. She was described in her Sol Levinson obituary as a “true daughter of Maryland,” whose love of her family, friends and the state were deeply central to her life.
She became first lady of Maryland in 1969 after the election of her husband, whom she married on June 8, 1941. She played a vital role during his campaign, using her social skills and ability to easily make friends, according to a biography of her life on the Archives of Maryland website.
Barbara Mandel enjoyed Maryland politics, often studying issues and following the progress of bills currently making their way through the legislature.
While serving as first lady, she took an interest in the Government House, according to the biography. She often collected news clippings and pictures that detailed the history of the house, and she worked with the Maryland Fine Arts Commission to restore several of the old paintings in the house.
Her daughter, Ellen Mandel Maltz, who was exceptionally close to her mother and lived with her parents in the Government House until 1971, became the first person to have a wedding ceremony in the historic building, according to the biography.
However, despite former Gov. Mandel being elected to a second term in 1973, Barbara Mandel did not maintain the title of first lady, as former Gov. Mandel announced his plans to divorce her and remarry. She stayed in the Government House for several months during the proceedings.
Despite that, she remained in the minds of future state elected officials, with her 100th birthday having a celebration planned at the Government House by Yumi Hogan, the first lady of Maryland at the time.
While that celebration was canceled because of COVID, Hogan said that she celebrated Barbara Mandel’s next two birthdays with her at the Government House, and she spoke highly of Barbara Mandel, recalling their first interaction in 2015.
“I was also impressed by her kindness. I held her hand warmly and tightly [when I first met her],” Hogan said at the funeral service.
That memory shared by Hogan is indicative of Barbara Mandel’s infectious and caring personality, her family told the JT. Several family members said that she was one of the most impactful and remarkable people that they’ve ever met in their lives.
Barbara Mandel was especially close to her daughter Ellen Mandel Maltz and granddaughter Morrisa Maltz, who both described her as being their best friend, a huge resource in their lives and an inspiration.
Morrisa Maltz added that her grandmother was highly attentive to all the people she cared about in her life, calling and checking up on people right up until her death.
“If my grandmother was your friend, you had a loving and caring friend for life,” Morrisa Maltz said at the service.
Multiple people spoke at the funeral about the spark of joy that she brought into life and how she served as the life of the party while also having immense banks of wisdom to impart on those she cared about to help them through life.
“I haven’t seen another person with the ability to bring that much light into someone else’s life,” Ellen Mandel Maltz said.
Barbara Mandel was predeceased by her son Gary S. Mandel. She is survived by her daughter Ellen M. Maltz, granddaughters Morrisa Maltz and Brittany R. Mandel, and grandson-in-law Tommy Heitkamp.
