Barbara Whipple Chaplin (1937 - 2019)

Born 29 Mar 1937 in Nashua, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Michael Forbes Larratt — married 27 Dec 1958 (to 17 Dec 1992) in Nashua, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States

Died 26 Nov 2019 at age 82 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Glenn Larratt [send private message]

Biography

Barbara was born in 1937. She and Michael Forbes Larratt were married from 12/27/1958 - 12/17/1992, and had four children together. She passed away in 2019.

Barbara was known as:

Barbara Whipple Chaplin at birth and throughout childhood;

"Barbie" to her college friends;

Barbara Chaplin Larratt during her marriage;

Barbara Whipple Chaplin after the marriage ended;

"B" Chaplin after her move to Portland, OR in 1994.

Obituary as recorded at tributearchive.com:

Barbara “B” Chaplin was born in New Hampshire in 1937, the child of Raymond and Dorothy Chaplin – the first of two children. Barbara grew up in Nashua, New Hampshire with her brother Ray and graduated from high school in 1954.

Barbara then attended Pembroke College in Brown University where she studied English Literature and graduated with the Class of 1958. At Brown University, she met Michael Larratt. The couple married in 1958 and raised four sons through 34 years of marriage.

In her early years of marriage, Barbara taught as an English teacher and traveled extensively as the couple lived in numerous locations including Hawaii, Baltimore, New York City, the Philippines, Pakistan, Cape Cod, and finally settling in Connecticut. Barbara’s four sons were born during these years of travel and moving (in New York, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Connecticut). In 1972, the family settled in their new hometown of Madison on the beautiful Connecticut shoreline. Barbara was a loyal and devoted mother, dedicating her time to supporting her sons, her extended family, the community, and the local public-school system. Barbara gave countless hours as a volunteer and supporter of local Madison Public School programs, Cub and Boy Scouts, recreational and sports team support organizations, and church, community support, and charitable organizations. Holidays were very special to Barbara. She was known to host very large, family Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter holiday dinners as well as summer family beach barbecues at the local town beach. Barbara and the family had a special relationship with Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Madison, as a regular presence in the 2nd front left pew at the 10 AM service each Sunday. She loved her St. Andrew’s family!

As her sons reached college age, Barbara earned her master’s degree in Psychology and served as a volunteer for numerous years in rehabilitation hospital service programs.

In 1994, Barbara moved across country to settle in Lake Oswego, Oregon. In the Portland area, Barbara became locally known as “B”, and could often be found wearing a special “Bee” pendant or “Bee” earrings. B enthusiastically joined and served as a volunteer at Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), participating on the development staff of the popular annual wine auction event. B was very proud of her time with MFS in the late 90’s and 2000’s, where the annual event grew into a several million-dollar annual charity event. B was “Grandma B” to her nine grandchildren and treasured her opportunities to visit with her family.

In 2011, B moved from Lake Oswego to the Willamette View Retirement Community. B loved her home with a special view of the Willamette River. She greatly enjoyed socializing with Willamette View friends, sharing stories about children and grandchildren, and singing in the Willamette View choral group. B loved singing all of her life, whether in a Pembroke a cappella group, in church choirs, or local community choral groups.

​Barbara was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. She is survived by her brother, Raymond, her four sons and daughters-in-law, Doug and Bernadette, Glenn and Elizabeth, Russ and Alex, Greg and Melissa, and nine grandchildren; Stephanie, Megan, Michael, Katie, Andrew, Colin, Connor, JJ, and Sammy. Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Dorothy, her ex-husband Michael, and her brother Raymond’s husband Michael. A memorial service and reception will be held at the Willamette View Retirement Community at 10:00 AM at the Terrace Auditorium, 13169 SE River Road. Later this spring, Barbara will be interred at the Garden of the Resurrection at her beloved St. Andrew’s Church in Madison Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to B’s special charity Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), an organization dedicated to helping people move beyond the limitations of poverty, inequity and social isolation. https://metfamily.ejoinme.org/donate

Sources

• Firsthand knowledge of Barbara's son Glenn.