Barbara Jean Chamberlain

– b. April 22, 1935 – d. February 2, 2024 –

Barbara Jean Cowgill-Chamberlain was born on April 22, 1935 in Fresno, CA. The family moved to Los Angeles when she was 13 and she graduated with a Bank of America Achievement Award in the Field of Future Success and Service to Society from Belmont High School in 1953.

In 1955, she was awarded a Scholarship to to the University of Southern California to study Journalism. She met and married Cecil David Chamberlain at USC in 1955 and they spent the next two years at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan.

They moved to Aptos, California in 1959 where Dr. Chamberlain set up his dental practice and Barbara raised three children. Once the children were grown Mrs. Chamberlain rebooted her college education by attending night school at Cabrillo College, then earning her Bachelors Degree in History from the University of Southern California in 1987. Then she earned her Masters Degree in Information and Library Science from San Jose State University in 1992. Simultaneously she worked for 30 years at Bradley Elementary School in Corralitos as a part-time school Librarian. Then she worked part-time at the Carmel Library for 13 years.

Barbara Chamberlain was a prolific author, and in 1975, she became a Life Member of the National League of American Pen Women. The Prisoner's Sword (1978) and Ride the West Wind (1979) were published by David C. Cook Publishing Co. She, also, reprinted these books into a single volume as she had originally intended, and this reprint received a Recommended Reading by the National Council of Teachers of English in 2017. Her short story A Bowl of Rice published in 2009 won a Writer's Digest Writing Competition National Award. She wrote a beautiful children's book, The Flight of Alpha 1 published in 2013. She, also, wrote the Jaden Steele Mystery series modeled after her life-long friend of 65 years Tanya Johnson. The series of books are: A Slice of Carmel (2011), Slash and Turn (2012), The Sword of Smuggler's Point (2015), The Edge of Carmel (2020), and Little Miss Muffet (In Progress).

Throughout her life in Aptos, was the constant thread of the Cabrillo Host Lions Club. Initially, she served as a Lion Heart, the Lions Club women's club. Barbara became a full member in 2004, and served as President of the Cabrillo Host Lions Club three times, Vice-President one time, Treasurer four times, Vice-District Governor three times, and District Governor one time from 2016-2017.

She is survived by her children Katherine Loren Chamberlain, Elizabeth Ann Miklavcic, David Scott Chamberlain, grandchildren Hanelle Miklavcic, Evan Mikkelsen, Kyra Chamberlain, Nicolas Yurasek, Chris Cole, and Rachel Cole, great-grandchildren Lexie, Sophia, Shelby Yurasek and Jasmine, Nathan and Ariel Cole.

Barbara's advice for a life well lived, "Try to help people as best you can."

Donations in her memory can be made to Cabrillo Host Lions Foundation PO Box 94, Aptos, CA 95001