barbara chatham

BY JILL FELTON CHATHAM - Barbara Chatham left this world on March 21, 2012. We all lost a treasure. She was laid to rest today beside her beloved husband, Pete, and son, Grady, neither of whom I had the pleasure of meeting.

Oh, but the stories she told me of them. That was our favorite thing to do ... tell stories. We spent a lot of time alone together so we would fill the time with story telling. Her stories were always better than mine. And I was glad to hear them.

Tales of old time Boca Grande and Gasparilla, stories about her daddy, the infamous Sam Whidden, and what life was like growing up around Whidden’s Marina with her sister Isabelle. There were stories of her kids’ childhood and the mischief they would cause.

Some of my favorite stories were about her precious David. Those were always the best. Of course there were the unmentionable tales too ... if you only knew! I didn’t know Barbara as a well woman. By the time I met Dave, she was already sick. She was the strongest person I have ever known. Although she didn’t like when people said or thought that about her.

I remember one day we were at her oncology office and things were looking grim. I was pregnant with Charlotte. I told her that she better be around to meet this baby! Barbara took the challenge and lived long enough to meet both of our children. Sometimes I thought that being with the kids was the only thing giving her the strength to live.

She loved our kids. She loved her precious David. And she loved me. We love her and miss her every single day. She was our Mammy, Barb and Mom.

We sure are blessed to have had the time that we did with one of Boca Grande’s best ladies.

Barbara was laid to rest at Gulf Pines Memorial Park on Wednesday, July 18 at 10 a.m. Jill Felton Chatham is her daughter-in-law.

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