Barbara grew up in Memphis and graduated from South Side High School. She also attended Union College in Jackson, Tennessee for two years. She spent over 40 years working at Building Plastics, Incorporated in Memphis, where she was a well-respected colleague and made many life-long friends.
Barbara loved her family with extravagant intensity. She was an extremely devoted wife to her husband, Billy, for 35 years. To quote Billy, “If there was ever an angel that walked this Earth, it is her.” She was an absolutely incredible mother. Words cannot do any justice to describe the love that she showed her son. She was simply the BMW, the “Best Mom in the World.” Additionally, she was also an incredible
grandmother to her three grandchildren. Through sleep-overs, family trips, swimming lessons, sports events, concert attendances, and the like, “Gram Gram” invested herself in her grandchildren. She was devoted to her siblings and maintained strong bonds with them. She was self-sacrificing throughout her life, and always put the needs of others above her own. She never hesitated to help anyone who needed it. Whether it was her family or strangers needing a place to stay in the midst of Hurricane Katrina, Barbara always gave of herself. She always had a servant’s heart. She was involved in various charities through her life and served in her church, West Side Baptist, in Winston-Salem, NC. She even became a musician in the last years of her life by learning to play church handbells.
Barbara also loved life to the fullest. She had a passion for travel and would always come up with another adventure. She enjoyed art and the beauty of nature. She often marveled at a simple flower, a waterfall, or just the majesty in a day itself. She loved to have gatherings with her friends and family around her. She could be absolutely silly, a practical joker, and one who could make everyone laugh. As she said, “Celebrate my life. It was a good one.”
Barbara is survived by her son, Eric Tippett (Amy); her grandchildren, Rachel Tippett, Claire Tippett, and Collin Tippett; and her brother, Donald DeLong (Carolyn). In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Billy Tippett, her brothers, Neil DeLong and Paul DeLong, and her sister, Anne Sherrick.
A gathering for family and friends will be held on Friday, March 5 from five o’clock until seven o’clock in the evening and funeral services Saturday, March 6 starting at ten o’clock in the morning all at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 N. Germantown Road, Memphis, TN 38133. Burial will follow in Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens Cemetery next to Billy.
In lieu of flowers, Barbara’s family respectfully requests that any memorials be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital. Online condolences and directions may be found by visiting www.memphisfuneralhome.net.
