Barbara Wheeler Havens

Barbara had a way of making everyone around her feel like family. The name “Granny” wasn’t reserved exclusively for her grandchildren. She was fondly called “Granny” by family, friends, and even the service technicians who visited her home.

She was born May 12, 1942, to Johnnie Wheeler and Lorena Foster Wheeler in Tanner Williams, Ala.

Barbara was preceded in death by her loving husband of 59 years, Donald Eugene Havens; her parents; her brothers, Price Wheeler, John "Bully" Wheeler, William "Pistol" Wheeler and Ernest Wheeler; and her sisters, Edith Havens, Ruth Dearmon and Mary Bell Murphy.

She is survived by her daughter Gloria Bullock (Rev. Samuel); son Earnest “Pete” Havens (Patricia); siblings Gladys Fowler, Albert Wheeler, Carl "Peewee" Wheeler and Jimmy Wheeler; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; 11 great-great grandchildren; many beloved nieces and nephews; and her church family at Gospel Lighthouse Holiness Church.

Throughout her 79 years, Barbara developed a relentless sweet tooth and a deep love for sports, particularly professional wrestling and baseball. The Braves, Yankees and Cardinals were her top three baseball teams.

Many nights, she would stay up late watching her favorite sports and snacking on Hostess Snoballs. Whiskers, her huge gray tabby cat, kept the foot of her bed warm for 20 years until he passed in 2020.

Visitation and funeral services will be held Tuesday, September 21, 2021, at Gospel Lighthouse Holiness Church on Old Shell Road. The family will receive friends beginning at 10 a.m., and the funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. She will be interred at Vahalla Memorial Gardens.