RICHMOND, Va. — Barbara (Windt) Chamberlain Felbush of Richmond, Va., died Dec. 2 at home with her family. She was 77 and passed away knowing she was loved.
Born Oct. 25, 1937 in Wakefield to Roy and Lillian Windt, Barbara grew up with two brothers and three sisters in an understandably loud household. She attended Wakefield High School, was a former “Miss Boston,” “Miss Printing Week,” and “Miss Otis Air Force Base” and loved Cape Cod.
She married her childhood friend, Paul F. Chamberlain, writing to him frequently when he was stationed in Japan in the 1950s. The two began their married life in Boone, N.C. and soon moved to Columbus, Ohio, where their two daughters were born and the family went on to live in numerous cities across the U.S. as required by Paul’s job with the Federal Highway Department.
In 1983, Paul passed away. Though she mourned the loss of her husband and friend, Barbara resolved to finish her own education and graduated from Mary Baldwin College with a degree in Psychology. She met and later married Larry D. Felbush, a cowboy/farmer from Kansas who found himself drawn to Barbara’s sense of humor, lively personality and strong work ethic.
Barbara was intensely creative and expressed her artistic talents through 50 years of knitting, adorning many family members with her beautiful sweaters. She also had a fascination with technology and enjoyed working with computers as a member of the Technology Department at Henrico County Public Schools from which she retired in 2008.
She is survived by her husband, Larry; daughters Julie Chamberlain of Richmond and Kelly Tillinghast of Williamsburg, Va.; sons-in-law Dan Chamberlain and Guy Tillinghast; sisters Claire Phillips of Euless, Texas and Lois Dimsdale of Dallas, Texas; brother Robert Windt and sister-in-law Hallie Windt of Lincoln, Calif.; grandchildren Colin, Casey and Caitlin Chamberlain and Evelyn and Ben Tillinghast, and a host of beloved nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, Dec. 19, 1 p.m. at Westhamption Memorial Park and Cemetery, Richmond, Va.
