Barbara Ann Borden

Barbara was born in Quantico, VA, the first of five children born to Russell William Smith, a Marine, and Betty Lou (Richards) Smith. Growing up in a typical Marine Corps family, Barbara moved around while growing up, spending most of her childhood years near bases in California and Hawaii. Upon her father’s retirement, they settled in Parkersburg, WV and later moved to Jacksonville, FL. There, she graduated from Ed White High School and then attended Florida Junior College in Jacksonville, FL, for two years.

Church and family were the cornerstones of Barbara’s life. In May 1979, while attending Lake Shore Baptist Church, she met David Borden in Sunday School, as he was searching for a church to attend. They began dating in June of 1979 and were married December 20th of that year. Stationed at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, FL, they would initially keep close to where they met, but the Navy would still take them around the world. David deployed aboard the USS Saratoga, heading to the Mediterranean in April of 1980. Barbara would experience a unique honeymoon, meeting the ship in its various ports of call and traveling through Europe while the ship was at sea. She traveled through Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, and Tunisia during an exciting first year of marriage.

During their time in the Navy, David and Barbara moved about every two years. Their first child, Daniel David (Dan), was born in Caracas, Venezuela, their second child, Rebecca Ashley (Becky), was born while they were stationed in Virginia Beach. Their third child, Rachel Kathleen (Katie), was born in Corpus Christi, TX, while they were living in Beeville, TX, and the last of their four children, Jonathan Arthur (Jon), was born while they were stationed in Corpus Christi, TX.

In 1994 David retired from the Navy, but that did not end their nomadic lifestyle. Barbara kept the family going strong through moves to Jacksonville, FL, Huntington, WV, Marietta, GA, Lexington Park, MD, and finally Kennesaw, GA, where she made a home for her family since July 1999. Barbara was a founding member of the Run for Wounded Heroes, a 5K race in historic Kennesaw to raise funds for wounded veterans, which ran for 13 years. The family attended Roswell Street Baptist Church, now Mission Church Roswell Street. Her dedication to keeping the kids involved in church and youth activities helped raise four children strong in their Christian faith.

Barbara loved her family. Family was everything to her, and her life revolved around her children and grandchildren. Barbara is survived by David, her husband of 46 years; their son Dan; daughter Becky, her husband Jimmy Simmons, and their three sons, Tripp, Charlie, and James; daughter Katie, her husband Ben Sheffield, and their son, Davey; and their son Jon, his wife Natalie, and their sons, Oliver, Sullivan, and Sebastian. Barbara loved being a mother and loved her children, but she especially loved her grandsons, to whom she was known as "Mimi." She always said she was "born to be a Mimi." Her siblings include her brother, Russell William (Butch) Smith of WV, and her sisters, Kim Smith of Lexington, KY, and Cindy Schriver of Kennesaw, GA. She was preceded in death by her brother, Scott.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Mission Church Roswell Street at 10:00 a.m. Barbara will be laid to rest at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA, following the service at 2:30 p.m. All who knew her are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, Barbara would be honored if you supported her autistic grandson Davey, by donating to KultureCity at https://www.kulturecity.org/kc-fundraiser/honoring-barbara-ann-borden-in-lieu-of-flowers.