Barbara A. Elgin

Born in Laurens, South Carolina, on December 2, 1939, Barbara lived a life defined by caring for others, a deep love of music, and steadfast devotion to her family.

Barbara was raised in a small four-room house in Hickory Tavern, South Carolina, that still stands today, though weathered by time. The oldest of six children, she was expected from a young age to help raise and care for her brothers and sisters—a role she embraced faithfully as a child and carried into every stage of her life. The Ridge home was filled with music, faith, fellowship, laughter, and love.

Barbara attended Union Baptist Church with her family as a child and was an active member of the choir and other church activities. A bright and dedicated student, Barbara balanced academic success with a lively extracurricular life. She was a cheerleader throughout high school and served as head cheerleader in her senior year. She fondly remembered her days at Hickory Tavern School, surrounded by siblings and cousins in the small-town community she loved. She graduated as salutatorian of the class of 1958 and continued her studies in secretarial science at what was then Anderson College.

After college, Barbara moved to Greenville, where she worked in a variety of roles over the years—as a bookkeeper, a childcare provider, and a social worker for Greenville County. While these roles were meaningful, her true vocation was caring for people, animals, and plants. She made it her mission to tend to others’ needs, planning ahead for almost everything you could imagine, saving money for a rainy day, or offering practical and emotional support to those around her. If you knew her, you knew she was always prepared. Her love language was food: Sunday dinners, holiday feasts, and impromptu gatherings were often centered around her legendary cooking and baking – recipes that remain unmatched. She also had a gift for transforming barren spaces into thriving landscapes filled with blooming plants and trees, a talent passed down through generations.

Faith and music remained a constant throughout her life. A childhood choir member and lifelong lover of hymns, she could still sing hymns and favorite songs with passion and conviction, even as Alzheimer’s disease progressed. Music often awakened her spirit, and she had a playlist of dozens of songs she could still sing along to. Throughout the years, Barbara kept her sharp wit, quick mind, and a voice for what she cared about—and she faced the challenges of her illness with remarkable strength and dignity.

Barbara was blessed with a loving family who were at the center of her life. She was the devoted wife of Doyce Elgin (deceased 2021) for sixty years and a proud mother to three children: Tammie (Elgin) Raushenberger (Scott, d.), Terry Elgin (Jennifer, d.), and Tobey Elgin (Stephanie). She is also survived by six grandchildren—Tory Raushenberger (Heather), Tiffany (Raushenberger) Jones, Todd Raushenberger (Kaci), Sawyer Elgin, Tanner Elgin, and Lily Elgin—and ten great-grandchildren—Kylee, Talon, Payton, Tobey, Graham, Daisy, Henry, Josie, Carter, and Georgia. Barbara was predeceased by her parents, Sarah Maggie Turner Ridge, and Wayne Washington Ridge, and by her siblings Geraldine, Warren, Gary, Susan, and Emily.

Our hearts are broken, but we hold tightly to the memories that guide and sustain us. Her imprint on our lives will carry forward for generations to come in family recipes, stories, and the small acts of kindness that she taught by example. Mom, we love you dearly!

A memorial service will be held at Aldersgate Methodist Church on July 2, 2026, at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Barbara’s name to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America https://alzfdn.org/donate/ or the Humane Society of Greenville County, S.C https://www.greenvillehumane.com/