Oleta Flo Barrow

At the age of 3 she moved to Grayville, Illinois. Her dad worked for Mobil Oil as a field boss. Later they moved to Albion, Illinois where they had to live in the house on the lease. The rent was cheap - $1.00 per year. They finally doubled the rent and they continued to live there until she went to college. Oleta worked one summer at a grocery store during high school and in the Home Economic preschool during college. She was an only child, but escaped the only child stigma because she helped her mother keep their home immaculate and helped her in the garden to provide excellent meals for her dad. Oleta and her mother helped the neighbor couple raise their 5 children. She went to a country school for the first six years then to Albion for 7th & 8th grade.

She graduated from the Albion schools and attended Southern Illinois University. She was a studyholic because her first goal was to get good grades while attending BSU activities and then party if there was any time left. Oleta was persistent enough to meet Bob because he was probably standing "in her way". 1960 was a busy year for Oleta because she got engaged in May, graduated with a bachelor in home economics, moved and got a job in Peoria, and got married in December.

After one year of teaching and Bob finishing his National Guard obligation they moved to Carbondale, Illinois where she held a variety of jobs. Her dream was to start a daycare in Lakeland Baptist Church which came to fruition January 15, 1979. The name of the daycare was the Lakeland Learning Tree. The first day the daycare opened it was four degrees below zero with five kids. It went on to be very successful. She was there until 1998 when they moved to Memphis.

Along with her parents Oleta was preceded in death by her husband Robert L. Barrow in June of this year. She is survived by her children son Todd Barrow, daughter Leesa Barrow, and daughter Traci (Jonathan) Edwards; grandchildren: Taelor and Tre’ Barrow, Amanda (Timothy) McCollum & Sarah (Robbie) Hereth.

Family and friends will gather on Monday, October 16 from four o'clock until a memorial service begins at five o'clock all at Memphis Funeral Home, 5599 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38119.

The family suggests any memorials in Oleta's honor be sent to God's House of Hope, Nettleton, Mississippi through https://www.ghohnettleton.com/donate