Barbara Wright Obituary

August 17, 1936 – January 20, 2024

CONKLIN COMMUNITY - Barbara Huffman Wright, 87, was born in Limestone, Tennessee on August 17, 1936 to her parents Charles and Elsie Babb Huffman. She entered into eternal rest and the arms of her Saviour on January 20, 2024 at her home in the Conklin community, as she would have wanted. Despite having overcome several health issues in the past, her passing was unexpected.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Dick L. Wright, her parents, Charles and Elsie Babb Huffman, sisters Dorothy Cross and Margaret Sims and brothers Daryl Huffman, Carroll Huffman and Joseph Huffman.

She is survived by her two sons, Steve and wife Mikki of Johnson City and Tim and wife Peggy of Jonesborough, her grandchildren, Zackary Wright, Logan Wright and wife Caroline, Seth Wright, Meredith Linville and husband Chris, and her great-granddaughter Sophia Wright. She was looking forward to the arrival of her second great-granddaughter to Logan and Caroline in June. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Barbara was a graduate of Washington College Academy and obtained both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from East Tennessee State University. She was a career educator for over 37 years at Lamar High School, Washington College Academy and Science Hill High School.

Barbara truly had a servant's heart. Her love for cooking was well known and was without a doubt, her love language. She was famous for her strawberry preserves and kept her family well stocked with them year-round. Those vibrant jars of sweet red berries will be greatly missed. Monthly Sunday family dinners were an event, and often included her delicious mac-n-cheese, homemade rolls and chocolate pies. Not a week went by that she didn't bake a cake or a pie for a shut-in friend, neighbor or a birthday celebration. In fact, her last steps were spent taking a freshly baked birthday cake for a neighbor to her garage refrigerator.

Barbara's Sunday afternoons were often filled with visits to friends in nursing homes where she would deliver a bouquet of roses from her beloved rose garden. If she wasn't in her kitchen, she could be found tending to her roses and her many flowers, which included iris that were handed down from her mother's garden and continue to bloom every Spring. Barbara also had a great love for music and a beautiful soprano voice. In earlier years, she served as an organist, pianist, and choir director at New Salem Baptist. Her kitchen was usually filled with beautiful classical music in the background as she cooked or baked.

Mamaw Barb, as she was affectionately known in later years, was also a great quilter. She had regular 'sit and sews' with her quilting friends and often hosted these get-togethers. Producing beautiful creations from colorful swatches of fabric brought her great joy and she leaves a wealth of beauty to be shared with those left behind and to serve as a reminder of her talent and love. On her sewing table on the day she died were the beginnings of a quilt for her second great-granddaughter, squares of fabric that will forever be cherished.

Mamaw Barb was a quiet, gentle soul who was content to sit in her sunroom, look at the view of the mountains, watch the birds she regularly fed, or read a book, a magazine, or her Bible. She was happy with the simplest of pleasures. Small treats meant the world to her, going out to lunch for pizza, visits with family and friends or driving around the countryside reminiscing about the past were enough to make her day. In recent times, when someone asked her how she was, her reply was always, "Happy to be here," and she truly was. For those of us who loved her, she is no longer 'here' in body. But she leaves behind a legacy in her loving family, her beautiful flowers, her quilts and recipes that will be passed down and prepared for many years to come. Mamaw was well-loved because she loved-well, and she will be deeply missed.

A time of visitation will be held on Saturday, January 27, 2024, from 10:00am-12:00pm with a Celebration of Life Service to follow immediately after at New Salem Baptist Church, Limestone, TN. Lunch will be served in the church education building after the service, as it was Barbara's wish that friends and family break bread together and fellowship in her memory.

Barbara's final wish was to be an organ and tissue donor in hopes of helping others, and her remains will be cremated.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 421 Lester Snapp Rd., Limestone, TN 37681 or the Urbana Cemetery Fund, c/o Linda Clark, 135 Keebler Lane, Limestone, TN 37681.