Barbara Bernice Cheney92, passed away peacefully on July 9, 2018 at Harvest Hill after a brief illness.

Barbara was born on November 2, 1925 in Alameda, California to Ira Allen Farringer and Ann Rettie or "Reta" (Garden) Farringer. She was a precocious and gifted child. She began playing the piano when little more than a toddler, picking out tunes by ear, and by age 6, was performing classical works at concerts. She also had a phenomenal memory and sense of adventure. Some of her happiest memories as a child were trips to Victoria, B.C., Canada, where many of her mother's family lived.

She finished two years at Mills College in Oakland, CA before marrying Donald C. Cheney, an officer and pilot in the U.S. Air Force, on October 19, 1945 at the conclusion of WWII. Both of them loved to travel and Don's 22-year Air Force career helped fulfill that goal. They had five children born around the world, and they frequently took trips to explore countries near where they were stationed. Barbara also continued her love of music by singing and playing the piano, including for recordings broadcast over the Armed Forces Network while they lived in Germany after the war. Though she rarely mentioned it, she was later honored to sing and play the piano in Colorado at a dinner for President and First Lady Eisenhower and the pilot Charles Lindberg after which she received a standing ovation.

When Don retired from the Air Force in 1965, he took a job with IBM and, after several more moves during which time Barbara's Christian faith became very important to her, they eventually settled down in Thousand Oaks, CA in 1969 and finished raising their last two children. During this period, she was active at Redeemer Lutheran Church and other local groups, and Barbara also played the piano to accompany choirs at Moorpark College as well as local vocalists or instrumentalists including her two daughters.

In 1995, after both had retired, Don and Barbara moved to Victoria, B.C. where they lived for 13 years at Somerset House overlooking the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. They also lived part of each year in Lynden, WA. Don and Barbara thrived in retirement, enjoying involvement at St. Matthias Anglican Church in Victoria and additional traveling to visit family or explore new places in Canada and the United States.

When Don's health began to decline, Don and Barbara moved to Lebanon, NH in 2008 to be close to one of their daughters. In October 2010, they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary just before Don passed away on Veterans Day. Barbara continued to live in Lebanon and stayed active, including walking (fast!) with her walker about town, enjoying visits, correspondence and phone calls with family and friends, going to concerts or church or traveling with her daughter, and keeping up with current events. The photo of Barbara with her obituary was taken when she was 90 years old while on a cruise with her daughter.

Barbara's Christian faith infused her life and she made a difference to many. She loved to encourage others including her children and countless persons who were recipients of her generosity and kindness. To the end, Barbara remained a beautiful and resilient lady with a flair for color and style and, despite health challenges and becoming very frail in her last years, she was always smiling and friendly, approaching life with spunk, determination and a sense of humor, repeatedly bouncing back from illnesses and injuries.

The family is deeply grateful for the many kindnesses and loving care showered on Barbara by staff at Harvest Hill in Lebanon where she made her home during the last two years of her life. The family also extends many thanks to hospice staff from Bayada for their similarly caring ways in recent months.

Barbara is survived by her five children, Donald Cheney Jr. of Tacoma, WA; Diane Cheney of Fremont, CA; Cynthia (Cindi) and husband Rev. James Rogers of Porterville, CA; Adele and her husband, Neil Fulton, of Norwich, VT and Evelyn Hess of Colorado Springs, CO, as well as 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a half-brother, Dwight Farringer, and a half-sister, Estelle (Farringer) Goree.

Barbara was buried at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, WA next to her husband at a graveside service attended by immediate family on July 20, 2018. A memorial service to honor Barbara and her life will be held at 2:00 pm on September 8, 2018 at the Victoria Church of the Nazarene in Victoria, B.C.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Barbara's memory to one of her favorite charities, Samaritan's Purse in Boone, NC.