Barbara L. Calkins
Barbara Lukens Calkins passed away peacefully at her home at White Horse Village in Newtown Square, on July 5, after a brief illness. She was 90.
Born in Philadelphia, she was the daughter of Charles Wildey Lukens and Robin Breuninger Lukens. She spent her childhood in Swarthmore and graduated from Middlebury College in 1951 with a degree in political science. After college, she worked as an administrative assistant to Courtney Smith, the president of Swarthmore College.
Barbara and her husband Jim were married at Swarthmore Presbyterian Church in 1957 and lived in Wallingford for 45 years, where they raised their three children. They moved to White Horse Village in 2003.
A lifelong member of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, Barbara served over the years as a deacon, elder, Sunday school teacher, and member of the Marthas, a volunteer group.
Barbara was a lover of music, art, books, and gardening. When her children were young, she was an active volunteer at their schools in Wallingford, serving as a leader of the Great Books and Art Goes to School programs and as a Girl Scout leader. She played the piano and recorder, and studied art and horticulture at the Barnes Foundation and Longwood Gardens. A weekly volunteer at the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College for many years, she served as president of the Associates of the Scott Arboretum and co-chair of the biennial plant sale. At White Horse Village, Barbara served on the landscape committee and residents council, played in several bridge groups, and particularly enjoyed her wonderful book club. She tended the bluebird boxes on the WHV campus for many years. Barbara also cared for her husband Jim as his health declined.
Barbara loved spending time at Lake Willoughby in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, where she had first vacationed with her family in the 1940s. After Jim’s retirement in 1992, Barbara and Jim enjoyed spending summers at their cabin on the lake. Barbara also loved skiing, both downhill and cross-country, as well as canoeing, kayaking, and hiking. She and Jim passed that love of the outdoors on to their children and grandchildren. She was a life member of the Buck Ridge Ski Club and spent many wonderful vacations at the Buck Ridge Lodge in West Dover, Vermont, skiing with family and friends.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 61 years, James R. Calkins, in 2018. She is survived by her three children, Robin C. Hipple (James) of Oakford, Pennsylvania, Thomas R. Calkins (Suzanne) of Goffstown, New Hampshire, and Charles H. Calkins (Hyun-Young Park) of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts; five grandchildren: Benjamin R. Hipple, Christopher J. Hipple (Ida Li), Samuel J. Calkins, Olivia Park Calkins, and Anna Park Calkins; and a niece, Debra Egloff. She was predeceased by her sister, Anne L. Egloff, and her nephew James C. Egloff.
Barbara will be remembered for her caring and kindness to all, her sharp mind and wit, always with a smile and twinkle in her eye, and her devotion to her family and friends.
A memorial service (private, due to the pandemic) will be held on Sunday, July 19, in the Memorial Garden at the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, with interment there to follow. A video of the service will be made available to residents of White Horse Village and members of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, for viewing by those who would have liked to attend if the service had not had to be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Chester Children’s Chorus, by mail to 112 Park Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, or online.
