Barbara Luebbe

Barbara May Luebbe (nee Schoenrock) of Chambersburg, PA, passed away peacefully on February 7, 2017, in Hershey, PA, with her five children at her side. Barbara was born on May 1, 1931 in New Haven, CT, to Leona and Walter Schoenrock. She graduated from Hillhouse High School in New Haven in 1948. Barbara earned a Bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, in 1952 and a Master of Religious Education from Yale Divinity School in 1954. She married the Reverend Paul Frank Luebbe on January 25, 1958 in Baltimore, MD.
Following graduate school, Barbara worked for the National Board of the Lutheran Church in both Philadelphia and Baltimore. She wrote Christian Education materials for Augsburg Fortress and supervised youth work in a large church in Baltimore. Upon marriage and beginning a family during the late ‘50’s and ‘60’s, Barbara worked part-time directing church youth choirs and teaching religious studies at Butler County Community College. As Barbara prepared to re-enter the workforce full-time in the mid-70’s, she earned her elementary teaching certification through Wilson College and taught fourth and fifth grades in the Tuscarora and Waynesboro School districts for ten years. Following this, Barbara was recruited by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Teaching & Learning to work as an educational consultant to teachers in low-income school districts across the United States. After retiring, Barbara served on the board of the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic and served on the planning committee for the development and formation of the Grove Family Library in Chambersburg.
Music was always a special passion in Barbara’s life. An accomplished pianist, Barbara was a student teacher of piano at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT, teaching nine pupils per week during her senior year in high school. She continued to serve as a piano accompanist and choir director throughout her adult years and participated in the Bell Choir at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Chambersburg. Most importantly perhaps, she instilled the love of music in her five children, who each became accomplished students of music themselves and in many cases passed the passion onto their own children.
Barbara’s family was the joy of her life. She is survived by her five children, Gretchen Luebbe of Leesburg, VA; Paul Luebbe and wife Zemen of Chantilly, VA; Lisa (Stapleford) Kocis and husband Paul of Hummelstown, PA; Christopher Luebbe (and significant other, Carrie Wood) of Philadelphia, PA; and Jennifer Keller and husband Timothy of Oreland, PA. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren, Benjamin, Daniel, and Peter Stapleford of Lemasters, PA; Gabriel and Rebekah Luebbe of Chantilly, VA; and David, Abigail, and Jacob Keller of Oreland, PA. Barbara’s beloved husband, Paul, passed away in 2006 after nearly 49 years of marriage. Of special interest is that Barbara’s 17-year-old miniature dachshund, Hilda, with whom Barbara shared a great love especially in her later years, passed away peacefully on the same day as Barbara’s passing, seemingly unwilling to go on without Barbara.



A memorial service is scheduled for 2:00pm on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Chambersburg, PA. Visiting hours will take place from 1:00-2:00pm in the church parlor. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall of the church. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Barbara’s life.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to St. John’s United Church of Christ, 1811 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg PA 17202 in support of their music program. Please write “music program” in the memo line of the check.