Obituary of Barbara D. Lindahl

Barbara Davenport Lindahl, aged 95, died peacefully on Sunday, 2/26/17, at her home of 48 years in Randolph, following a protracted struggle with dementia. Barbara was born March 16, 1921 in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of Pierrepont and Alice Davenport. She had been a loyal summer resident of Raccoon Island on Lake Hopatcong, since the age of seven. Barbara studied at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn and was a graduate of West Orange High School and Oberlin College. Although an English major at Oberlin, she moved into the accounting field during World War II while working for General Electric Co. in Schenectady, NY. She also worked as a bookkeeper for the law firm of Unger and Unger in Newark. It was at GE where she met her husband of over 50 years, Melvin, now deceased. They had three sons, John, Steve, and Roger, while living in their first home in East Orange. The Lindahls were members of Arlington Ave. Presbyterian Church in East Orange, where Barbara served as an elder, trustee and treasurer. Barbara later served on the Session of First Memorial Presbyterian Church in Dover, where she was also active in the church thrift shop and as an offering counter. While proud of her heritage as a descendant of the Rev. John Davenport of New Haven, CT, Barbara resigned her membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution in protest of the refusal at the time to include African Americans in the organization. Barbara is survived by her three sons, her daughters-in-law: Judy and Toni, and five grandchildren: Kevin of Bloomfield; Nicole of Greensboro, NC; Anya of Montclair; Erik of Charlotte, NC; and Patricia of Oakland, CA. A memorial service will be held at First Memorial Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 17, 2017, 11:00AM Inurnment will at Racoon Island, Lake Hopatcong, will be held at 4:00PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent in her name to First Memorial Presbyterian Church, 51 West Blackwell St., Dover, NJ 07801. Arrangements by Tuttle Funeral Home, Randolph.