Barbara Clay Crist
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Beaufort South Carolina. Barbara Clay Crist passed away peacefully in the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC on March 2, 2022 surrounded by her family.
Barbara was born on the western slopes of the Rockies in Craig Colorado. Raised on a ranch she couldn't wait to get out of the country and see the world. Single, she traveled from San Francisco to Boston, working as she went, finally ending up in Washington D.C, where she met a dashing young Marine officer. They were married out of the Marine Barracks, 8th and I with a future Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Leonard Chapman, giving her away. Thus began a 37-year adventure as a Marine wife. A role she enjoyed thoroughly?despite moving every two years. Along the way she raised two boys, made a home wherever she found herself, and was truly a contributing partner with her husband as they advance upward through the ranks. As the first lady of the United States Central Command, she was a remarkable hostess, entertaining high-ranking dignitaries, foreign and American, with grace and skill.
After retirement she moved to Beaufort, SC where she transformed an old house on the Point and filled it with antiques; a passion she and her husband both shared. An avid gardener, she created a formal and tropical garden from bare Lowcountry sand. Both house and garden were on several tours?a testament to her abilities.
Barbara is survived by her husband General George Crist, two sons, William Crist of St. Petersburg, FL and David Crist of Potomac MD, and a grandson Matthew also of Potomac MD.
Arrangements by the Anderson Funeral Home.