Rachel Chadwick

Rachel Chadwick was born March 17, 1944, to Paul and Mary Steiner of Upper Sandusky, Ohio. She had three siblings, Peggy Rall, Paul and Joe Steiner.

A feminist at heart from a young age, Rachel played baseball with the neighborhood boys and had a job passing newspapers. Two of Rachel's lifelong passions were reading and making music. She loved playing piano and often used practicing as an excuse to get out of doing the dinner dishes. She learned to play the trombone and was in the high school marching band. Years later, on many a New Year's Eve, Rachel played her trombone in the street to ring in the new year.

She graduated at the top of her high school class and then attended The Ohio State University, where she studied teaching. She married her high school sweetheart, Earl Chadwick, and they had two children, Malia and Mindy.

Living most of her adult life in Dayton, Rachel found her calling in being a school librarian. There's nothing she loved more than the power of a story to bring people together. She took the family to the library nearly every week and cringed if a book was purchased instead of borrowed. As a novice, and eventual professional storyteller, she entertained with her riveting tales of Pocahontas, Annie Oakley, Amelia Earhart, Mother Goose, Mother Solomon and her unique spin on ghost stories, with the Wandering Gypsy. If you never heard her tell the story of the Golden Arm, you missed out! She was known in the Dayton community for storytelling and was featured at both the Chinese Festival and the Wright Brothers' Centennial.

Rachel loved traveling and learning about other cultures. Able to pinch a penny, she visited Europe multiple times, and as part of Friendship Connection, hosted guests from Columbia, Germany and France. If you spotted her at the International or Greek Festival in Dayton, you undoubtedly caught her singing and dancing unabashedly. A little know fact, Rachel played keyboards as a band member of Switch '77 and helped release their one album, "You Gave Me a Mountain." You probably always suspected she was a rock star, but she was the genuine article.

Rachel was a Christian dedicated to learning about other perspectives. She spent years at First Lutheran Church, but later gravitated to the open mindedness of the Unitarian Church. She often subbed in to play the piano or organ for churches in the community. When she was offered alcohol or drugs, one of her favorite phrases was, "No thanks, I'm high on Jesus!" Truer words were never spoken.

As a Pisces, Rachel loved the water and always owned a boat, whether a canoe or small sailboat. Spring to fall, she'd schlep a boat on top of her car and bring people together on the water. Raising her girls, she took them creekin', canoeing and camping frequently. She volunteered to teach CPR at Phillips Aquatic Center each year so the family could get in for free. She was the type of person who, when it rained, gave you a big smile and invited you to walk in the rain with her. Even in her later years, she'd jump in puddles with child-like delight. She was known to start an occasional water fight...once even in the house.

Rachel was a lifelong learner and brought home an Apple IIe the summer of 1983. With a strong belief in higher education, she earned her master's in library science in the 1980's. She took creative writing classes well into her 70s and used that process to walk through her own grief. She also enjoyed playing the trombone in the New Horizons Band, and although she struggled to learn jazz, she was dedicated to trying. She enjoyed being in touch with the younger generation through subbing for arts classes. She loved volunteering as an usher at the Schuster Center because she got to see so many friends and an occasional show for free! She hated television, and the family had a strict one-hour a day policy...however, she did love MASH, Magnum PI and The Sound of Music. In later years, she loved the Hallmark channel.

As an early student of the impact of nutrition, she was ahead of her time in healthy eating and supplements. At holidays, she always offered raw fruits and vegetables, but also indulged in Hershey bars and homemade apple-juice popsicles. Although she never mastered cooking, the family always appreciated her sweet effort. She valued exercise...some years she jogged, and others she coached girls soccer. She loved swimming, and made many friends later in life at the swimming pool at St. Leonard's. When she started hospice in early March 2025, removing her from supplements was part of the sad realization that the family was really going to lose her.

A strong, independent woman, Rachel had many more loves after her divorce in 1979, but she never again married. Ahead of her time, she loved herself first and was incredibly self-sufficient...although she may have gotten in over her head the year she blacktopped the driveway herself. She raised her daughters and inspired other women to believe they could do anything.

Rachel never met a stranger and loved having people in her home. In addition to many neighbors and foster children, Rachel's pride and joy were her four grandchildren and their spouses: Bailey Hilliard (Mack), Seth Stobart (Calaudia Kuchan), Grayson Stobart and Kai Sutter. Affectionally known as Ma to the grandkids, she loved to read with them, play music (Für Elise was a crowd pleaser), take a hike, attempt crafts, and beat everyone at Uno! She loved hearing of their adventures and supporting their dreams. She loved her former sons-in-law, Shawn Sutter and Geoff Stobart, as well.

As the granddaughter of a Swiss immigrant, Rachel had a special attachment to time. Her clock was always 10 minutes fast, and the family's mantra was, "If you're not five minutes early, you're late." More importantly, she valued intentional and family time. Advent was her favorite time of year, and she always hosted neighbors and friends for short readings and hymns...O Come, O Come, Emmanuel being her favorite. She held a core belief you should always leave the party while you're still having a good time...and sadly, that was a value she took to the end, with her passing on March 15, 2025.

Please join the family for Rachel's Celebration of Life on Saturday, March 29, 2-4:30 PM at Westbrock Funeral Home at 5980 Bigger Rd. After a brief visitation, "Storytime," will be from 2:30-3:30 PM, and music-time thereafter. In honor of Rachel's eccentric spirit, please wear a hat, the color green, OSU gear or the costume of your choice. She led an extraordinary life, and the family looks forward to celebrating it with you.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in her name to Day City Hospice at 7601 Paragon Rd, Suite 203, Dayton, Ohio, 45459 (Tax ID: 451-802-329) or University of Dayton's New Horizons Band.