Barbara Arlene Tibbs

Barbara Arlene Braun Tibbs, 81, of El Paso, who spread her wings and went to the good Lord April 10, 2015. With undaunting courage and as a witness to all who knew her, Barbara died with dignity of heart failure. Though she struggled for most of her adult life with heart problems, her heart possessed an abundance of love and grace which she gave liberally to all she knew.

Survivors include her daughter, Cheryl Tibbs Hale and husband, Rusty Hale, son-in-law Lawrence “Scooter” Foster, daughter-in-laws Pam Tibbs and Emina Tibbs, grandson Brett Hale and wife, Jamie Hale, grandsons Garrett Hale, Drew Foster and Ahmed Flugecum, and granddaughters Donna Tibbs and Jennifer Tibbs. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Athel Eugene Tibbs, parents Jack Russell and Lorene Russell, sons Bruce Allen Tibbs and Michael Eugene Tibbs, and daughter Donna Leigh Tibbs Foster.

Born February 15, 1934, in El Paso, Texas, Barbara graduated from Austin High School and attended Texas Western College. She retired after a 23 years with the Ysleta Independent School District and was a member of the Junior Women’s Club.

Before returning to El Paso in 2011, Barbara moved to Lafayette, Louisiana in 1994, where she became an active member of Asbury United Methodist Church, attending numerous Bible classes. God gives us faith in order to share it with others, and this Barbara was always willing to do. With a smile on her face and laughter in her eyes, Barbara never allowed her struggles to defeat her joy-filled spirit.

Barbara’s greatest accomplishments in life were that of a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She was a caregiver to her grandmother, her daughter, her mother and husband. Her family has been blessed with the knowledge of having known a matriarch who loved them unconditionally and with deep tenderness.