Barbara Chance

Barbara S. Chance, 82, of Kansas City, Mo., died July 23, 2014. A Celebration of Barbara's life will be 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1, at Central Presbyterian Church, 3501 Campbell, KCMO. Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 31, at the McGilley Midtown Chapel, 20 W. Linwood Blvd., KCMO. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to either Harvesters or City Union Mission.

Barbara was born Sept. 7, 1931, in Ft. Smith, Ark., to Guy and Mary (Nading) Gilbert. As a teen, Barbara was Miss Coffeyville and then graduated from the University of Kansas in 1954 with a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing. In addition to raising her family, she was very active in the life of Kansas City as a volunteer. Barbara worked 40 years as a volunteer for many organizations, including the City Union Mission. She created the Quest Program, a free tutoring program for the Kansas City School District, which ran for more than 30 years. She was the 1993 recipient of the Community Service Award Foundation recognition. Also, she was an elder at Second Presbyterian Church. Barbara was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bill in 1991; son, Greg, grandson, Shaun and her brother, Don Gilbert. Barbara's survivors include two sons, Craig Chance and wife Margie, Overland Park, Kan., and Richard Chance and wife Kelley of Bates City, Mo.; honorary daughter, Susie Busch (Buchholz) of Holiday Island, Ark.; six grandchildren, Sarah, Dana, Bailey, Taylor, Dustin and Matthew; two great-grandchildren, Aubrey and Dante; two nieces, Melanie Eddy of Syracuse, Kan., and Melissa Wiedenfeld of Warrenton, Va., and nephew, Joel Gilbert of El Paso, Texas. Fond memories and condolences may be offered at www.mcgilleymidtownchapel.com