Barbara L. Chevalier

HIGHGATE CENTER - Barbara Lambert Chevalier, beloved wife, mother, grammie, sister, aunt, and friend, age 65, passed away on Friday, July 13, 2018, surrounded by her loving family at her home in Highgate Center. She had battled cancer courageously for two years.

She was born in St. Albans on February 14, 1953, to the late Homer & Lucienne (Laroche) Lambert, the tenth of thirteen children. A lifelong resident of Highgate Center, her three younger siblings were her best friends growing up. After graduating from UVM with a degree in early childhood education, Barb married her high school sweetheart, Claude Chevalier of Highgate Springs. Together they raised their three children in the same house where Barb grew up. In this home, Barb became known for her hospitality. She kept the large extended family connected by hosting annual family reunions, Thanksgiving dinners, and other gatherings. However, her hospitality did not stop there, other guests such as missionaries, her childrens friends from across the globe, and many neighbors enjoyed her delicious homemade treats and welcoming nature. She spent countless hours sewing and making beautiful handicrafts that she loved to give away as gifts, and which also graced the walls of her home. Her home extended outdoors to the flower gardens that she tended with care.

Barb also put her degree and skills to use beyond the home as a professional volunteer in her church and community. At Church of the Rock, St. Albans, Vermont, she shared her love for Jesus by serving as the childrens ministry director for twenty-five years, mentoring in the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group for many years, and leading the womens ministries later in life. In the community, while her children were young, she volunteered at the Highgate Elementary School and led story hour at the Highgate Public Library. Recently, she served on the planning commission for the Town of Highgate. Barbara will be remembered as a woman of deep love, faith, compassion, and generosity"a true servant and Proverbs 31 woman. Her husband and children arise and call her blessed. She will be missed tremendously, but the family takes heart in the promise of eternal life offered through Jesus Christ in whom Barb put her hope.

She is survived by her husband, Claude Chevalier of Highgate Center; their children, Adam Chevalier and his wife Kelly of Lynn, MA, Laura Chevalier of Highgate Center, and Jonathan Chevalier and his wife Erin of Lynn, MA; five grandchildren, Ethan, Emma, Jackson, Juliet, and Alivia; her siblings, Raymond Lambert and his partner Ellen, Dorothy McGrath, Henry Lambert and his wife Molly, Anna Lambert, Mary Chapman and her partner Edward, Ruth Lambert, Edward Lambert and his partner Susan, Louis Lambert and his wife Susan, Rita Lavallee and her husband Peter, Steven Lambert and his wife Alana, and Michael Lambert and his wife Wendy; brother-in-law, Alfred Columb; her nieces and god-daughters Heather Bessette and Jessica Remmey, numerous other nieces and nephews, several aunts and uncles, and many brothers- and sisters-in-law and cousins. Besides her parents, Barbara was predeceased by her sister, Catherine Columb, three nieces, many aunts and uncles, and several in-laws.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, July 17, 2018, from 5-8:00 PM at Kidder Memorial Home, 89 Grand Avenue, Swanton.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at 11:00 AM at Church of the Rock, 1091 Fairfax Road, St. Albans.

For those who wish, contributions in Barbaras memory may be made to Marthas Kitchen, P.O. Box 1561, St. Albans, VT 05478, http://marthaskitchen802.org/become-a-donor/ or Friends of the Highgate Library & Community Center, P.O. Box 76, Highgate Center, VT 05459.

Condolences, photos and favorite memories may be shared through www.gossfs.com