Margrit H. Rita Chaffin

Chaffin, Margrit “Rita” H., 90, artist, art teacher, mother, community volunteer and one of the first women in the drafting department at Boeing. Margrit grew up in Switzerland, studied art, enjoyed skiing, and was multilingual, speaking Swiss, German, French and Italian. During WWII, while working for the Swiss government, she met Gladwin Chaffin who worked for the U.S. government in the OSS based out of London. They married at the end of the war and returned to the U.S. in 1947 to attend Columbia University in NYCGladwin studied music and Rita studied art with Don Kingman. Gladwin brought Rita back to Wichita where he finished his masters in music. Gladwin secured a teaching position at Southwestern College in Winfield, Rita continued her art studies, exploring different media from oil painting to sculpture and participated in an art group where she made lifelong friends who would get together for a weekend of painting for decades to come. She and Gladwin left university life to start their own businessGM Sundries, a drug store and soda fountain off West Douglas. Her art background got her a job as a draftsman at Boeing in the late 1950s, with the company sending her to drafting classes. In 1959, Margrit had her first and only child, Leslie. With a family to support, Gladwin went to work for Gessler Drug Co., closing GM Sundries. Rita used her art throughout her daughters school years as a room mother, Girl Scout leader, and art teacher for her daughters classes. She became involved in set painting for Community Theatre with Mary Jane Teall; and she and Gladwin, in later years, were involved as volunteers at the Wichita Art Museum and Rita taught drawing at the Wichita Art Association. As a docent at the Museum, she often give tours in French or German for visiting Sister Cities guests. The couple was also involved in Alliance Francais. In addition to art, Rita was very fond of animals, especially dogs. There was always a dog in the house and she welcomed the stray kittens Leslie brought home. An avid gardener, she landscaped their west Wichita home. She loved being outdoors, whether in the garden or hiking in the Rocky Mountains on vacations. Along the way, Rita touched many lives sharing her love of art. She made a difference in young lives by giving her time. And she shared her joyeux de vivre with all who knew her. Graveside service will be at 2:00 P.M., Friday, November 9, 2012 at Maize Park Cemetery. A memorial has been established with Lifeline Animal Placement Protection No Kill Shelter, 310 W. 45th St. N., Wichita, KS 67204; and Botanica, 701 N. Amidon St., Wichita, KS 67203. Downing Lahey Mortuary East.