Shreveport, LA – Bonnie S. Barefield, age 96, passed in the early hours of September 14th to be with our Lord. Visitation will be held Saturday, September 19th, at 10 am, at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home in Haughton, with the Funeral Services to follow at 11 am.
Mrs. Barefield was born June 15, 1924, in Mt. Sterling, IL, a small rural farming town 2 hours north of St. Louis. She graduated from nearby Clayton High School in 1942, after which she soon moved to Macomb, IL to begin her life as young adult. A few years later, she moved to a small rural town in southwest Georgia, Americus, where at Georgia Southwestern College, she was an assistant to the Dean of Business Studies. In 1953, she moved to Kinston, NC to work at Stallings Air Base (USAF Primary Flight Training) and became the secretary of the Base Commander. There she met her future husband, Ted Barefield, who was a Wing Commander/Flight Instructor at Stallings. They married in May 1955. At the conclusion of the Korean conflict, Ted took a job with the CAA, now FAA, where he and Bonnie moved to New Orleans where their son Barry was born. Later they transferred to Shreveport, then Fort Worth until 1964, then back to Shreveport where they made it here to be their lifelong home. Bonnie enjoyed sewing, tending to her flowers, quilling, reading and being a housewife. Bonnie and Ted enjoyed traveling in their travel trailer and later their motor home for over 40 years touring all over the country. They stopped their travels and bought a vacation home in Mt Home, AR overlooking beautiful Lake Norfolk, which they enjoyed for almost 10 years.
Mrs. Barefield was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Fern Stephens of Mt. Sterling, IL, and her late husband of 60 years, Ted Barefield, 93, of Shreveport. Also preceded in death was her late brother Lynn Stephens, 17, USN/WWII, her late sister Judith Gales and husband Bill of Slocomb, AL, and her late brother Bud Stephens, USN Ret, and wife Georgene, of Hico, TX.
She is survived by her son Barry Barefield of Shreveport, and her sister Helen DeWitt and husband Doug, of Tuscon, AZ. She is also survived by her niece Gaye DeWitt of Frisco, TX, niece Marty Hadden and husband Rob, of Slocomb, AL, niece Stephanie Henderson and husband Bobby, of Amarillo,TX, niece Marian Lowe and husband Gary of Maricopa, AZ, nephew Harold Stephens and wife Bert of Hico, TX, niece Laura Gales of Slocomb, AL, and grand-niece Kara McClung Smelkoff and husband Robbie of Frisco, TX, and many grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
A special thanks to her dear friend Charlotte Lucas of Longview, TX for the many many years of love and friendship. The Voumard family, what a Godsend, thank you for adopting Mom and Dad and allowing Lydia and Phobe to bring joy to their lives.
For Mom’s last few days, a heartfelt thank you for the care and compassion by Yvette, Al, Eric, Ernestine, Katie, Misty, Michelle, Doillar, Joan, and many others at PAM Specialty Hospital, 8th floor at WKP, as well as Dr. Liu, Dr. Morrison, and Dr Figueroa for their guidance and compassion at WKP. For her time a Montclair Assisted Living, I would like to thank Jordan Abdehou, Rachel, Melanie, and especially Doris for her kindness and care.
Finally, these wonderful ladies; Lawanda Chism, Denise Williams, O’Mece Brown, Debra Fields, Tabatha Reed, Brandy Williams, Precious McCall, Ebony Givens, Latonia Hall, and Shay Crawford of Loving Tender Care – these ladies cared for Mom for the past 2 years and not only allowed her to feel cared for and but also loved, and to live out her final days. Thank you does not begin to say enough.