Barbara Ann Borger Townsend

Barbara Ann (Borger) Townsend, 81, of Shippensburg, passed away the morning of Saturday, September 7, 2024 at the UPMC Carlisle Hospital.

She was born on December 23, 1942 in Los Angeles, CA, a daughter of the late John G. and Muriel Winifred (Hannah) Borger.

Barbara was a 1960 graduate of the Northern Valley Regional High School in New Jersey and obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Dickenson College in 1964. After graduation, she taught both English and Math at the high school level. Barbara then took a hiatus from teaching to raise her children. She shifted her career path and pursued a law degree with an emphasis on family law, obtaining her Juris Doctor degree in 1976 from Dickenson School of Law. Barbara was one of the first female lawyers in Franklin County. Out of college, she worked at Sharpe and Sharpe, where she eventually became a partner. In 1990, she started Townsend Law Office in Chambersburg, PA and specialized in Family Law and Real Estate transactions. 

Barbara was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Pennsylvania and American Trial Lawyers Association, and Christ United Methodist Church in Shippensburg, where she was a member of the church choir since the early 1990’s. She was also a member of the Town Singers and former board member of both the Shippensburg University Festival Chamber Orchestra and Women in Need. In 1984, she became a PIAA swimming official and was a past president of the Shippensburg Swimming Club. 

Above all else in life, Barbara fiercely loved and cherished her family and friends. She was always extremely involved and active in her children’s lives. Her family included her friends and those in need. 

She is survived by two children, Jay Anthony “Tony” Townsend, Jr. and his wife Susan Cathleen Schroder of Aptos, CA and Griffith Andrews “Griff” Townsend and his wife Katerina Gail Olsen of Lake Worth, FL; six grandchildren, Grace Catherine, Samantha Rose, Emily Ann, Samuel Godfrey, Charlotte Edith Anne, and Gregory Thor Townsend; one brother, Lawrence Borger; and former spouse, Jay Townsend, Sr.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her older brother, John G. Borger II. 

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, September 13, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 47 E. King St., Shippensburg, PA 17257. Pastor Bruce Levy will officiate. There will be no public viewing or visitation. 

Memorial contributions may be made to Franklin County Legal Services, 336 Lincoln Way East Suite B, Chambersburg, PA 17201.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.fogelsanger-brickerfuneralhome.com.