Barbara Kingston Obituary

Barbara Risley Kingston FLETCHER, NC - Barbara Risley Kingston, of Fletcher, NC, formerly of Charleston, SC, entered into eternal rest, May 16, 2017. The relatives and friends of Barbara Kingston are invited to attend her Memorial Service at 1:00 PM, Saturday, June 10, 2017, at Pinecrest Baptist Church, 1285 Ashley Hall Road, Charleston, SC 29414. She is survived by her four children, Andrew P. Kingston, Christopher J. Kingston, Martha A. Hoffman and Jonathan P. Kingston and her seven grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her son, Thomas H. Kingston, and her husband, Paul J. Kingston. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 20, 1927. At age 12 she knew she had a calling and wanted to be a missionary. In 1949, she graduated from the University of Connecticut. After graduating, she went to California and spent a year working for the National Council of Churches. She assisted migrant workers and their families. Afterwards, she returned to Hartford and enrolled in an interdenominational seminary with plans to get a master in religious education. She did a year's field work at Wallingford Presbyterian Church, a mostly black congregation where Rep. Robert Woods was the pastor. In 1973, she did a year's field work at Morris Brown AME Church. She joined the church as an assistant minister that same year. In 1976 she became an elder of Morris Brown AME Church. She was one of a staff of five ministers. She was a female in a male-dominated profession and she was a northerner living in a southern city. She had many battles and overcame many struggles during this time and she was not sure how much she would push. She states, "I'm scrappy when it comes to something I think is right, but underneath, I am shy and retiring." She retired from Morris Brown AME Church in 1986. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to The Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409 designated to the Professor Paul J. Kingston and Family Scholarship Fund or the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, 81 Columbus Street, Charleston, SC 29403. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston