Margaret Eleanor Chandler

Beloved Margaret Eleanor (Kloempken) Chandler,71, joined her parents, Mildred and Henry Kloempken, in Heaven on Wednesday, January 30th, 2019. Her passing followed an extended illness.

A service to celebrate her life will be held at Heritage Church of Christ, 4201 Heritage Trace Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76244 on Monday, February 4 at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to Defenders of Wildlife, 1130 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 (www.defenders.org).

Throughout her life, Margaret created a legacy of caring for others. Born in Chicago in 1947, she built a career there as a dietician who worked with ailing Vietnam veterans in area hospitals. The fashionable young professional who could “turn the world on with her smile” fell in love with Larry Chandler in the 1970s. They married in 1977 and moved to California, then Canada, and finally to Texas. There, she began a new career as a mother to James in 1982. In the 1990s, while working as a homemaker and mother, she cared for her ailing parents in her home during the last years of their lives. After this she continued nurturing others by working and volunteering in multiple nursing homes. She also had a lifelong passion for animal welfare and wildlife rescue.
Her fun-loving spirit and easygoing attitude led her and Larry to enjoy many adventures in their years together, including snow skiing in California and Colorado, riding ATVs in Belize, exploring islands in Greece, and sailing in the Pacific and Caribbean. Her most recent adventure was becoming a grandmother and never declining a chance to rock a baby, play in the yard, or bake cookies.

She will be greatly missed by her husband of 41 years, Larry Chandler, son James and daughter-in-law Wendy, all of Fort Worth; three grandchildren, Paul, John, and Simon. She is also survived by her siblings Tom Kloempken, Kay Baranowski, and Richard Kloempken and their spouses, and many other dear nieces, nephews, friends, relatives, and of course, animals.