Barbara Kivit Chaffin was born in Richmond, VA on April 22, 1939. At the age of two she and her brother John Harvie Chaffin III and her parents John Harvie Chaffin Jr. and Rose Lee Chaffin moved to Martinsville, VA where Barbara spent the rest of her youth. She graduated from Martinsville High School and Longwood University. Barbara taught briefly in Yorktown, VA before she married James Edwin Bear III and bore three children: Margaret Rose, Mary Barbara and James Edwin Bear IV.

The family moved briefly to Chattanooga, TN and then on to Wilmington, DE. After their divorce Barbara returned to school and received a Master's degree in Elementary Counseling from West Chester University. In 1979 she married the Rev. James Lappen and moved with her three children to Smyrna, DE where her husband served as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. Barbara was involved in the Thresholds project at the Delaware State Prison which whetted her appetite for prison ministry.

In 1982 she moved with her husband and two younger children to Sandy, UT where her husband was the organizing pastor of the Community of Grace Presbyterian Church. While in Utah she blossomed as an elementary school counsellor serving children in several schools in the Salt Lake City area. She was ordained as a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church and served as a Commissioner to the 199th General Assembly. Barbara was trained as a Stephen Leader and continued her work in prison ministry while there. She also became a Liturgical Clown named "Milkweed"!

In 1989 Barb and Jim moved to Denton, TX and Barb continued her work as an elementary counselor in the Lewisville ISD and served as an elder and Stephen Minister in the Trinity Presbyterian Church.

In 1999 Barb and Jim retired to Morganwood, a retirement community in Swarthmore, PA. After a year of retirement Barb said she was either going to have to get a job or a therapist. She chose a job and for the next three years worked as an elementary counselor at the Swarthmore-Rutledge school until she was really ready to retire.

In retirement Barb blossomed. She became a Master Gardener and endeavored to have a beautiful view our of each of the windows of her home. She initiated the Alternative Christmas Shop at Swarthmore Presbyterian Church where she served as a Ruling Elder and Stephen Leader. She began the Broad Street Menders program in center city Philadelphia which mends clothes for the homeless at Broad Street Ministries.

In 2018 Barbara and Jim moved to Riddle Village in Media, PA where they lived until her death.

Barb loved to travel especially to Switzerland and she and her husband travelled extensively after retirement (and even before).

She is survived by her husband James Lappen and by her three children, Margaret Rose Bear, Mary Barbara Bear Shannon (Tom) and James Edwin Bear IV (Suze), five grandchildren: Timothy Shannon, Henry Shannon, Daniel Bear, Andrew Bear and Caroline Boswell. She is also survived by three step-daughters: Linda Dykes, Carol Lappen, Elizabeth Layfield, three step-grandchildren: Ryan Burkett, Natalie Flynn and Jacob Layfield as well as seven step-great grandchildren. She lived a full life!

Barbara's memorial service will be celebrated on Saturday, September 21, 2:00 pm at Swarthmore Presbyterian Church (727 Harvard Ave., Swarthmore, PA).

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Barbara's memory to the Broad Street Menders program in center city Philadelphia which mends clothes for the homeless at Broad Street Ministries.

Link: bit.ly/3z7cCjH

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Arrangements provided by Rigby Harting & Hagan Funeral Home
www.haganfuneralhome.com