Born in New Jersey, Barbara/Mom/Nan/Babs made it past the Mason-Dixon line early enough to grow up just about as Southern as you can be in Central Florida. Married at 15, she finished high school and accompanied her husband to Germany during his military service. They returned to Brevard County and she spent several years on the admin support team at NASA, earning letters of commendation for her work, while her husband laid the foundation for what would become Kermit Cook’s Merritt Island Air Conditioning & Heating.
After her children were born, she created a warm, cozy home full of carefully chosen antiques and Americana rich with history. Besides the ever-present stash of M&M’s, her kitchen featured a regular rotation of expertly fried chicken, cornbread worthy of a whole glass of milk per slice, delicious banana yum-yum, sweet tea made on the stove with real sugar, and meatloaf no one could duplicate. Each season kicked off with top-to-bottom decorating, until every square inch of the house looked and smelled like the holiday being celebrated.
A lifelong member of First Baptist Church of Merritt Island, Barbara spent many years as nursery and Sunday School coordinator and was actively involved with the launch of Merritt Island Christian School. Her vehicles logged hundreds of miles traveling to baseball tournaments and soccer fields around town. Her shoes logged as many, if not more, walking familiar routes in her neighborhood and stopping to chat.
Barbara dearly loved animals, finding kindred spirits in ones that needed rescue, not the least of which were dozens of frogs saved from near death in her swimming pool, and the terrified owl who took a wrong turn down the chimney and did a couple tours of the living room before being helped out the front door.
Family in Heaven who welcomed her include her husband, Kermit; parents, Freddy & Rose Barnewall; her brothers, Freddy & John; her sister, Patricia Hunter; her niece, Tina Kavchak; many extended family and friends; and many, many pets she loved with all her heart.
Family on earth who love and miss her include her daughter, Kim (Aaron); granddaughter, Sarah and Sarah’s dad, Paul; son, Mark (Angela); grandchildren, Braden, Andrew, Barrett, and Abigail; sister-in-law, Carol; nephew, Ken (Theresa); niece, Cindy (John); and her aunt, Helen.
A service will be held on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 at the Life Event Center of Florida Memorial , 5950 South US Highway 1, Rockledge, FL. Interment will take place at Florida Memorial Gardens.
If you want to send flowers, please send them to someone you love who needs encouragement and will be delighted to receive them. If you want to make a donation in her honor, find a family to bless with extra money for something special, and share with them a story about the lady who inspired you. If you really want to make her smile, follow her lifelong example and adopt a pet who needs a home.
Whichever you choose, be sure to treat yourself to a bag of M&Ms on the way home.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18