Barbara J (Seip) Kauffman

Barbara J. (Seip) Kauffman died peacefully the morning of February 21, 2025, with family at her side. She was a devoted and loving daughter, sister, cousin, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, friend and sister in Christ. She is preceded in death by grandparents Albert Norton Seip and Annie Irvin Seip, Sadie Ann Marshall and Thurman Marshall, and her parents, Albert Roy Seip, Vivian (Marshall) Seip-Payne, and brothers Alan Richard Seip and Albert Thurman Seip.

Barbara was born April 21, 1938, in Denver, CO. The family moved to Boulder, CO shortly thereafter, and later returned to Englewood. She attended Englewood High School (Class of 1956), was a dedicated Rainbow Girls member, serving as Worthy Advisor (1955-56). She married James R. Milliken in 1957, divorced 1965. Married Robert H. Spalding 1967, divorced 2001. Married Jerry D. Kauffman in 2006, who died suddenly in 2010.

Attending Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, CO, she graduated 1991 with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Medical Billing and Coding. She was employed by St. Joseph’s Hospital, Denver, CO as a medical coder. Also employed over the years with American Cancer Society and Nexus Greenhouse Corp. Denver offices. She expressed great love for her country and politics, worked in political campaigns and served as a responsible election worker and poll judge in Jefferson and Denver counties. Took great pride in being a descendent of John Marshall, first Supreme Court Justice of the United States, a friend and confidant to Presidents George Washington and John Adams.

A voracious reader, her favorite topics included History, Religion, Political Science, Medical Science, Genealogy, Horticulture, Geology, Music, Art and Painting. The Arts and Music were great personal passions, and she loved Big-Band Era music, played the piano and thoroughly enjoyed singing with Denver’s “Sweet Adelines” Rocky Mountain Highline Chorus, who performed and competed regionally and nationally. A proud Member of Pueblo Art and Weaver’s Guild, she also studied Watercolor, Acrylic and Oil painting techniques in Friendswood, TX and Littleton, CO.

She was an avid gardener, creating bountiful vegetable and beautiful rock gardens for the family to enjoy. She loved a good joke! Her other hobbies include sewing, crafting, doll making and baton twirling. With her beloved dogs, Skylar and Tesla, they enjoyed long walks along the highline canal and road trips around the country together. She climbed the Fourteener Grays & Torreys Peak with her dogs and family members.

Barbara’s son, Randy, was born with Cerebral Palsy. Managing a child’s disability was challenging. She befriended other Mothers in similar situations at Boettcher School in Denver and Fletcher Miller School in Jefferson County. As concerned mothers, the groups discussed architectural struggles and the needed changes for the disabled. As a group, Sandy Arnold, Mary J. Bruekelman and others borrowed from a Bill in Texas for presentation to Colorado legislators, lobbying for the removal of architectural barriers for the physically disabled. Many house and senate meetings were attended, and a Bill was drafted. Both Colorado’s House and Senate members voted and approved of the Bill. All viewed as a “good idea,” and was then taken to Washington, DC in 1973 and become Law. Parents worked together once passed to implement changes. The foundation was built for what has grown to be ADA. Also, Special Education was cost prohibitive to special needs families. Barbara worked tirelessly with longtime friend, Betty Gillis (now with Douglas County Schools), and others to help bring down costs to educate the physically and developmentally disabled, in hopes of mainstreaming these children into regular classrooms within the public-school systems.

Barbara loved her family deeply. A great mother who supported and celebrated their life events and successes. She is survived by her favorite first cousin, Shirley Seip Hadley, son Randall Roy Milliken, daughters Brenda Rene (Milliken) Frazer, Lana Leigh (Milliken) Brumfield (Brent), and sons Robert Steele Spalding, II (Marin) and Edward Michael Spalding (Charlotte). She was blessed with seven wonderful grandchildren: Brooks Brumfield (Jessica), Rachel Genthner (Joshua), Marshall Brumfield, Lauren Whele (Ryan), Robert M. Spalding, Julie Spalding and Christopher Spalding, and seven Great-Grandchildren.

Internment at Ft. Logan National Cemetery, Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 2:00pm. Barbara will be laid to rest with her high school sweetheart, Jerry Kauffman. No flowers, please. In her loving memory, donations to Open Door Ministries, P. O. Box 18018, Denver, CO 80218. Telephone: (303) 830-2201. For more information, visit: www.odmdenver.org