- Date Of Birth: August 15, 1918
- Date Of Death: February 4, 2016
- State: Texas
Barbara Siegrist Schoolfield, 97, of Highland Park, Texas passed away peacefully in her home on February 4, 2016. She was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1918.
Growing up in Connecticut, she attended Low Heywood School where one of her classmates was Gene Tierney. Prior to her marriage to William C. Schoolfield in 1942, she enjoyed dancing to the music of Glenn Miller at the Glen Island Casino and sailing on Long Island Sound with her lifelong friend Ruth White Wemple. In 1949, she and her husband and two small children moved to Dallas when her husband’s firm (Chance Vought) relocated from Bridgeport.
She was a supportive wife and loving mother. She loved her family and her many friends, most of whom are no longer with us. She would get up in the middle of a rainy or snowy night to help her son deliver newspapers. She was actively involved in her children’s school activities. She was a past president of the Greenhill School PTA.
She was free with her advice to her children which may have been unwanted at the time but proved, more often than not, to be right in the end. “If I don’t tell you, nobody else will” she often said. She wasn’t afraid to express her opinions.
She enjoyed playing tennis, playing bridge, sewing, reading and traveling. Among her many travels was a trip around the world which included a stop in India to visit her daughter in the Peace Corps.
She loved animals, especially German Shepherds. They were an important part of her life. She had a German Shepherd at her side from the time that she was a little girl (Bingo) until the death of her beloved Max a few years ago. Her cats Dickens and Jake were with her at the end.
She was a member of the Church of the Incarnation, The Junior League of Dallas, The Junior League of Dallas Garden Club, Northwood Country Club, The Dallas Women’s Club and The Dallas Garden Club.
In 1995, she was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years. She is survived by her daughter Sandra Schoolfield and son-in-law Jon Kechejian of Santa Barbara CA; son William “Chip” Schoolfield of Highland Park; son Joseph J. Schoolfield of Beaumont TX and “daughter” Lynn Wemple Biggers (her lifelong friend’s daughter) of Highland Park. She is also survived by the following grandchildren: Bonnie Germer and her husband Reid of Layton, UT, Marie Parton and her husband Doug of Baker, FL, Christopher Schoolfield of Bountiful, UT, Jenny Thornell of Bountiful, UT and Nicole Flusche and her husband of Fredericksburg, VA as well as numerous great-grandchildren. She is further survived by her former daughters-in-law who remained an involved in her life taking the time to visit her: Linda Thornell of Bountiful, UT and Leslie Schoolfield of Fredericksburg, VA
The family will be forever indebted to Dr. Mark Armstrong for his years of wonderful care, Essie McGee for her years of kindness and loving care and to her primary caregiver, Rita Cooley who gave her comfort and peace during her last months.
Wednesday, February 10th, 2016, Hillcrest Cemetery
Hillcrest Cemetery
