Barbara Livingston Adored Rustic Chappaquiddick

Barbara Reinhart Livingston died peacefully at home in Columbus, Ohio, on March 14, surrounded by loved ones.

Preceded in death by her parents, Frank McClain Reinhart and Dorothy Hickok Wilson; sister, Dorothy Reinhart Rossiter; brother, McClain Reinhart Jr.; and her beloved husband, DeWitt Clinton Livingston, she is survived by her daughter, Lain Livingston Howarth, and son-in-law, Robert Frederick Howarth of Columbus, Ohio; granddaughter, McClain Livingston Howarth, of Washington, D.C.; and grandson, Robert Clinton Howarth, of Boston.

Born in Chicago on July 5, 1917, she grew up in Andover, summering on Chappaquiddick. Barbara graduated from Phillips Academy (Class of 1936) and the Erskine School in Boston where she lived until marrying DeWitt and moving to Summit, N.J. They lived there until moving to Columbus in 1978.

A member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Columbus, and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Edgartown, she enjoyed her service on the altar guild at all three, and was a member of the Summit Junior League and TWIG 3 of Children's Hospital in Columbus.

Chappy was her favorite home, and she never missed a summer. As a third generation Chappaquiddick girl, she spent her days in the then-isolated family compound on the hill with her siblings and Barber cousins, witnessing Chappaquiddick's development. Time was spent planting trees on what was then windswept moorland, rowing to town once a day for ice, mail and groceries (Ferryman, Jimmy Yates, rowed the family car over just once a season), and helping to sell the Spanish antiques at the big house on the water, collected by her great aunt, Stella Dillon.

She lamented the changes on the Island and strived to instill the joys of simpler days in her family. Night beach picnics, star-gazing and moon watching in the front yard, and rowing in the harbor with DeWitt and her grandchildren were among her favorites.

Barbara believed that Chappaquiddick should remain natural and worried that it was losing its rustic character, with its manicured lawns requiring excessive water and chemicals. Litter was particularly upsetting to her, and she could frequently be seen picking it up at the point and on her walks during which she enjoyed chatting with friends and strangers alike. She reminded her family to welcome visitors who came to enjoy the beauty which was too often taken for granted.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, August 19 at 4:30 p.m. at the Chappy Cemetery. The family requests that any memorial contributions be sent to St. Andrew's Church, the Chappy Fund of Sheriff's Meadow Foundation, or a charity of choice.