Barbara M. Mcclure

Barbara M. McClure, 78, of rural Wilson County, Kansas passed away Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at her daughter"s home in Winfield, Kansas surrounded by her son, daughter, and their families.Barbara was born May 23, 1938 in Weston, West Virginia, the daughter of H.P. "Mitch" and Gladys Mitchell. The family resided in Seaford, Delaware until Barbara was a freshman in high school. DuPont then transferred her father to Kinston, North Carolina where she attended and graduated from Kinston High School in 1956. She graduated from the Woman"s College of the University of North Carolina (the WC), Greensboro, North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in 1960. She then moved to Atlanta, Georgia and lived with a group of girlfriends and worked as a secretary in a bank for a few years. Several of her friends were teachers and she decided that a change in careers was in order. She loved the classroom and spent the rest of her working life as a teacher.She met Kenneth "Ken" S. McClure and they were married April 13, 1968 in Atlanta. The couple decided to move their young family to Kansas in 1971. They rented a home in Thayer from the Walkers initially and then found their perfect project, the Old Starbuck Place. They purchased the place, began raising cattle, and began the renovation of the house, an endeavor that never ended.Barbara taught in Thayer and Erie for a few years before she began teaching at Altoona-Midway. She taught high school English for many years until an opening became available to teach business, her first love. She retired in 2000. During her tenure as a teacher, she sponsored numerous clubs and activities. She particularly enjoyed the yearbook and Y teens. She was an enthusiastic fan and loved attending all of her children"s activities. She was inordinately proud of her children.She was a long time attendee of the Altoona United Methodist Church and member of the Episcopal Church. She and Ken enjoyed volunteering with the Food Pantry. Barbara loved to read and made weekly trips to the Chanute Library. She was a passionate fan of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and University of Kansas Jayhawk basketball teams. She enjoyed traveling with Ken throughout their marriage. They spent a lot of time visiting family and friends, and met new friends with each trip. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She cared about her students and was a thoughtful teacher.She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Ken in August, 2016, her parents Henry P. and Gladys A. Mitchell, and her brother Donald P. Mitchell.Survivors include her daughter, Shelley A. McClure and her husband Scott of Winfield, Kansas; her son, Mitchell H. McClure and his wife Elizabeth of West Hartford, Connecticut; a sister, Janice Mitchell-Love of Saxton's River, Vermont; grandchildren, Kai, Ayla, Anika, Kadira, Nikita, Alice and Preston and many nieces and nephews.Celebration of Life Funeral Services will be held 11:00 A.M., Saturday, March 18, 2017 at Altoona United Methodist Church with Pastor Jimmy Yoo, officiating.The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday, March 17, 2017 at Wickham Family Funeral Home, 510 N. 7th Street, Fredonia, Kansas.Private family interment will be held in Harrison Chapel Cemetery.Memorial remembrances are suggested to the United Methodist Church Food Pantry in Altoona and they may be left or mailed to the funeral home.