Polly Barker

Polly Sullivan Barker, age 92, was called to her heavenly home Saturday, June 18, 2022. Born April 8, 1930, in Childress, Texas, to Omer Servant and Mary Jane Avery Sullivan, Polly was the youngest of eight children. The Sullivans farmed in Honey Grove and Childress, Texas, and Portales, New Mexico. Polly graduated from Portales High School in 1947.

After graduation Polly moved to Littlefield, Texas, and worked as a switch board operator at the telephone office. Polly married Waymon Mont Barker, her husband of 72 years, in Littlefield on November 26, 1948. Moving from Littlefield to Portales and then Clovis, New Mexico, Polly worked at the telephone company and Waymon worked at the newspaper office. Waymon and Polly reared their four children Debra Kay, Monte Wade, Janis Lee, and Jeffrey Don in Lubbock, Texas.

While rearing her children, Polly sold Avon, took in ironing and cared for children in her home. After her youngest child started to school, Polly worked at West Texas Hospital at the switch board and then in the business office for a total of nineteen years. She filed insurance twelve years for Calvert Home Health and twelve years for Homestead Home Health. Polly retired at the age of eighty-one.

Polly enjoyed making ceramic and resin crafts, smocking pillow tops, cross-stitching aprons, decorating denim shirts, sewing doll clothes, collecting story-book tea pots and Yesterday’s Child porcelain dolls, and reading books by Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, and Nicholas Sparks. She loved flower gardening with roses, day lilies, and iris her favorite. She was an avid 42 domino player, loved country music, Hallmark movies and Blue Bell ice cream. She enjoyed the family photo slide show on her Nixplay player more than watching TV. Polly made every effort to attend her grandchildren’s baseball, basketball and softball games, dance performances and viola recitals, cheer tournaments, birthday parties, high school and college graduations, and weddings.

Preceded in death by her parents O. S. and Mary Jane Sullivan; three brothers Sterling, Avery and Reuben; four sisters Mattie, Mary Louise, Alma and Roverta; husband Waymon M. Barker; son Monte W. Barker; son-in-law Robert L. Medlin; and grandson Darren G. Medlin.

Survived by daughter Debbie Medlin of Austin, Texas; daughter-in-law Lou Barker of Littlefield, Texas; daughter and son-in-law Janis and Don Brooks of Mt. Pleasant, Texas; son and daughter-in-law Jeff and Beth Barker of Lubbock, Texas; sixteen grandchildren; twenty great-grandchildren; three great-greats; and numerous nieces and nephews.