Birth date: Aug 30, 1938 Death date: May 22, 2020
Mrs. Barbra Akin, age 81 of Scottsboro, Alabama. Passed away on Friday, May 22, 2020 at her home. She is survived by her son: Andy Akin; three grandchildren: Camden Akin, Baylor Akin, Gibson Akin; and three nieces. She is preceded Read Obituary
I met Barbra in the fall of 1971 when I started teaching at Chamblee High School. Barbra and Ann Scoot took this rookie teacher under their wings and we became fast friends! Oh, some of the escapades we had and stories I could tell! I taught along side her for several years. I played bridge with Barbra with her in our CHS bridge group. I worked in the ticket booth with her when Ed Tatum ran the football stadium. We laughed and giggles together until she and Ed moved to Scottsboro. Then I didn’t see her as much but we did talk on the phone frequently. I grieved with her when Ed died and rejoiced with her when she found Ralph - and Andy. Four of us from the ATL went to Scottsboro inn2028 to take Barbra out for lunch for her 80th birthday. Now, my heart is breaking that I won’t get to sing to her on her 82nd birthday this August. I loved her dearly!
Barbara and I met in the 6th grade, 71 years ago. Both our families had just moved to Huntsville. Our parents become friends and we grew up together. People often mistook us for each other, though she was blond and green eyed and I was brunette and brown eyed. We went to college together and after college shared a basement apartment on East Davis Street in Decatur, GA to teach in the DeKalb school system. She met Ed that year and married him the summer after the school year. From then on, we were on two different journeys, but stayed in touch. Later I married and had three children. We asked Barbara and Ed if they would be the guardians of our children and they agreed. Her mother was on the phone with my mother when my mother had a heart attack. She immediately called my father at work to notify him. Barbara met Ralph after Ed died. They both loved golf and were good at it. They traveled the southeast for golf tournaments, winning many awards. They loved each other in a way that was beautiful to observe. Ralph gave Barbara the child she never had, Andy, and grandchildren for her to dote on. It was a very special relationship. When I decided to become a nomad, it gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted. After Ralph died, Barbara had back surgery and I supported her during her recovery.. When she learned cancer had returned, I went to support her. All those hours, sitting in the recliners gave us time to reminisce about our escapades (what we could remember) and to deepen our love for each other. I am grateful for that time we had together. Barbara was a loving, caring person and the epitome of southern womanhood. Her death has left a hole in my heart.
