Mom in front of house at Westover AFB
1970

Barbara with new poodle.  Poodle was given to Barbara and Donald by their son Kevin on their anniversarty

1978 Scarlett Barbara and dog in the living room Christmas

This is the picture for Barbara's wedding announcement in the paper.  It was damaged in hurricane Andrew

Don and Joan were our friends in the military.   Don and Orville were stationed together in France and Arizona.  I met  them when we traveled together to Arizona.   From there we were stationed in Japan with them.  We kept in touch from then on.  We visited them in Florida and they visited us in Louisville.  We have kept in touch with Joan since then.  She was the last person from the military that we were in touch with.  I miss her so much.


Mom worked as a high-school registrar for 17 years

Mom received this large certificate upon  Dad’s retirement 

Barbara, a few days before her marriage.  Taken on the Ohio River at the Ayres house

Barbara Helping with the Meal, Christmas 2012

Barbara on the back porch at the Ayres, Summer 1953

Picture of Barbara sent to Donald in France.  We all thought she looked like Elizabeth Taylor

Picture of Barbara sent to Donald in France

Barbara at Chinese Sunken Garden, San Antonio, Texas, Nov 1952

Barbara as captain, 2011, cruise to Mexico.  Jason had arranged for us to visit the bridge.

Barbara and Donald shortly after marriage

Mom and Dad 1954.  They had only been married a few years


We use to all come together at Mom's house in Homestead for Christmas.  When Mom moved in with brother Kevin in 2012, we would all travel to Palm Coast, FL for the holidays.  This is a picture of Mom with Sarah in 2016.

Mom would always come to my house twice a year.  She would work on my house.  We would either paint or wallpaper.  She tiled both of my porches.  After 2012, she wasn't able to travel anymore.  Though we would talk on the phone almost every day.

Mom and I had traveled to Kentucky.  By coincidence, the Ayres had a family reunion on a Saturday in Lewisville and the Richardsons had a family reunion the very next day in Owensboro.  It was a time to review the past.  I think Mom knew that it would be the last time she would see Kentucky.  This picture shows Aunt Kay, Uncle Wendall and Mom.

Jason, Mom, Caroline, Emma, Sarah at Cracker Barrel 2016_12_28 

Mom:  Thanks for taking care of me when I was in need, all those days at the AFB hospital with asthma.  Thank you for all that you are to me.  Last night I reflected on all of the times we spent together.   I remember one year you mentioned to me that I had too many house plants.  Of course, you had just brought me 8 more plants in your suitcase when you came to visit me.  I get my green thumb from you.  And now I am of the Board of Directors of the American Iris Society and my garden will be part of the national convention gardens.   I get my love for recycling pieces from you.  You still have many of the same furniture as you did 50 years ago.   You pushed me when I needed to be pushed.  You insisted that I take typing lessons in Junior High of which I am grateful. You insisted I learned how to drive when I rather be chauffeured and you insisted, I have my ear pierced when I didn’t care but later did.
You can take pride in the fact that you raised 3 great kids.  Shannon, Kevin and I have turned out well and that was largely thanks to you.  You taught us caring, responsibility, hard work, creativity and how to balance work, family, and leisure.  I remember the time in grade school you help me make a puppet for school.  The head was made out of cornstarch dough.  I had the nicest puppet in class.  I remember all the Halloween princess costumes you made for me and all the handmade dresses you made for Easter.  You taught me how to crochet and encourage me to take artistic classes at the local rec center.
Life has come full circle. You knew you had physically reached the end and were emotionally prepared for the next step. You understood death as part of the cycle of life, accepted the reality that the time has come and stated that you were ready to go to heaven. I respected your opinion and respected your wish to go to Heaven.  I take comfort that you will be in Heaven before me.  
I love you.


Goodbye Mother
I was not ready to say goodbye when you decided to go into hospice.  Kevin told me that you had decided it was time to let go of life.  You had told me that you were proud of me, my career, and the type of person I was.  You were telling me goodbye.  I am still not ready.  I hope that when it is my time, I can go with such grace.  You have such strength!  A survivor of ovarian, breast and colon cancer, you have always impressed me.  My heart was filled with hope that this too would just be a bump in the road and before long, I would be celebrating another miraculous recovery.  I cannot envision life without you and will miss our daily phone conversations.
I have been looking at some old pictures.  They were only 2 inches square and were very grainy.  I think you got the larger pictures.  What a wonderful mother you were.  You always took great care of us in so many ways.  I know growing up that we weren’t rich, but it always felt like we were rich.  I always felt like I had an idyllic childhood.  You made sure we had nutritious meals and always had lots of presents to open on Christmas.  Tyndall AFB was a great place to spend a childhood.   I remember the beautiful garden you had out back, the pink climbing roses and, in the summer, we always would go to the beach.   Kevin and I had to wait impatiently until you finished vacuuming before we could go to the beach.  I remember the times looking for seashells.   I remember going to the place near the beach where we would look for rocks to line the garden.  
I want to make sure you know what a comfort you are to me, to Kevin and to Shannon.  You have always been a rock, very important and a foundation in my life.  I will miss that.  I am glad that I have a chance to say goodbye.  I never got a chance to say goodbye to Daddy.  I just wish I could have said goodbye in person.  I know you were worried about CoVid19 and my health.  I would have risk it to be with you. 
Thank you for all that you taught me.  

OBITUARY

Barbara Joan Ayres

December 2, 1933 – March 4, 2021

Caballero Rivero Palms Woodlawn

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