Carol Barber of Dallas, Georgia, a long-time volunteer leader at Helping Hands of Paulding County and Paulding Hospital, an active member of the community and Dallas First United Methodist Church, and a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away Monday after succumbing to multiple health challenges. She was eighty years old. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 9 at 2PM at Benson Funeral Home in Dallas, GA. Visitation will be at the same location from 1PM to 2PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Helping Hands of Paulding County, the charity where she volunteered and led for many years. She is survived by her son Chris; her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Paige; her granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Chase and Madison Gramling, her great grandson, Ben Truett Gramling, of Eagle River, Alaska; and her granddaughter, Captain Kelsey Garcia, MD, of Lacey, Washington. She was pre-deceased by her husband, George Truett Barber, in October of last year. Mrs. Barber was recently able to visit with Madison and Ben, a reunion of four generations, shortly before her passing.
Carol Griffin Barber was born on October 12, 1942, as Carol Lucille Griffin to Gordon and Beryl Griffin of Hahira, Georgia. She was one of five children of the Griffins and is survived by her younger sister, Janice Griffin, and her older brother, Gene Griffin. She was pre-deceased by her older brothers Troy Griffin and Van Griffin. She was raised in the area and after graduating high school, attended college at Abraham-Baldwin Agricultural College where she obtained an associate’s degree in secretarial sciences. After graduation, she moved to the city of Atlanta and found her first job working for the headquarters of the Girl Scouts of America.
Carol met George Barber when they were both working in the city of Atlanta and were staying in the same apartment building. They fell in love, got married, moved to Smyrna, Georgia, and started a family. Carol continued her career, becoming the office manager for the Mason-Hall company in Smyrna, a position she retired from in the 90s. In 1977, Carol and family moved from Smyrna to Dallas, Georgia, where she became active in her church at Dallas First United Methodist, the Dallas Women’s Club, and started her long tradition of volunteer work.
Much of this work was related to her sons’ interest in marching band, and Carol volunteered to be the President of the band boosters at Paulding County High School. Legendary band director and Paulding County institution, Ronnie Davis, had often referred to Carol in the past as “the best band booster president I ever had,” and she transferred those skills over as a volunteer mom for the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps after her son Chris joined the organization. Along with her husband, Carol spent several summers travelling with the large contingent as they performed around the country, supporting them by organizing and cooking meals for several hundred musicians, the organization’s staff, and other volunteers who supported Spirit.
Carol also put her energy into helping several organizations throughout Paulding County. She was a volunteer at the old Paulding County Hospital’s gift shop, where she became one of the leaders of the shop. Her contributions to the success of the hospital, both old and new, led her to being placed on the board of the hospital. She was also very active in establishing Helping Hands of Paulding County, where she volunteered and was on the board. She spent many years ensuring that Helping Hands had the resources they needed to support the community, while also serving the individuals who came in seeking help. Carol put her organizational skills to use in supporting the River of Life at Dallas FUMC. She was in charge of organizing, cooking, and serving three meals a day to several hundred volunteers as they worked in the Paulding County community. Her overwhelming contribution as a volunteer in the county were recognized when Carol was awarded the Ken Thigpen Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015 by David Austin, serving as the Paulding County Commissioner at the time. When asked about Carol, Mr. Austin said, “no one has a bigger heart for helping others than Carol”.
Carol was also an avid advocate for family travel. When she lived in Smyrna, she was an active member of “Travelers on Wheels,” a local community of family campers, and spent many hours planning trips with the group and then taking those trips in the family’s camper. She planned a month-long family vacation in that camper, and the family took that trip in 1976, ranging from Georgia down to the Mexican border, over to San Francisco, and back up through the Dakotas. During that trip, the family experienced a lot of the natural wonder of the country, including the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Yosemite, the Sequoyah National Forest, and Yellowstone. She also made several longer trips with George and other members of the family to many locations around the country and the world, including Alaska, Hawaii, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Switzerland.
Benson Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mrs. Carol Griffin Barber.
To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Mrs. Carol Griffin Barber hosted by Benson Funeral Home.
Carol Barber of Dallas, Georgia, a long-time volunteer leader at Helping Hands of Paulding County and Paulding Hospital, an active member of the community and Dallas First United Methodist Church, and a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away Monday after succumbing to multiple health challenges. She was eighty years old. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 9 at 2PM at Benson Funeral Home in Dallas, GA. Visitation will be at the same location from 1PM to 2PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Helping Hands of Paulding County, the charity where she volunteered and led for many years. She is survived by her son Chris; her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Paige; her granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Chase and Madison Gramling, her great grandson, Ben Truett Gramling, of Eagle River, Alaska; and her granddaughter, Captain Kelsey Garcia, MD, of Lacey, Washington. She was pre-deceased by her husband, George Truett Barber, in October of last year. Mrs. Barber was recently able to visit with Madison and Ben, a reunion of four generations, shortly before her passing.
Carol Griffin Barber was born on October 12, 1942, as Carol Lucille Griffin to Gordon and Beryl Griffin of Hahira, Georgia. She was one of five children of the Griffins and is survived by her younger sister, Janice Griffin, and her older brother, Gene Griffin. She was pre-deceased by her older brothers Troy Griffin and Van Griffin. She was raised in the area and after graduating high school, attended college at Abraham-Baldwin Agricultural College where she obtained an associate’s degree in secretarial sciences. After graduation, she moved to the city of Atlanta and found her first job working for the headquarters of the Girl Scouts of America.
Carol met George Barber when they were both working in the city of Atlanta and were staying in the same apartment building. They fell in love, got married, moved to Smyrna, Georgia, and started a family. Carol continued her career, becoming the office manager for the Mason-Hall company in Smyrna, a position she retired from in the 90s. In 1977, Carol and family moved from Smyrna to Dallas, Georgia, where she became active in her church at Dallas First United Methodist, the Dallas Women’s Club, and started her long tradition of volunteer work.
Much of this work was related to her sons’ interest in marching band, and Carol volunteered to be the President of the band boosters at Paulding County High School. Legendary band director and Paulding County institution, Ronnie Davis, had often referred to Carol in the past as “the best band booster president I ever had,” and she transferred those skills over as a volunteer mom for the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps after her son Chris joined the organization. Along with her husband, Carol spent several summers travelling with the large contingent as they performed around the country, supporting them by organizing and cooking meals for several hundred musicians, the organization’s staff, and other volunteers who supported Spirit.
Carol also put her energy into helping several organizations throughout Paulding County. She was a volunteer at the old Paulding County Hospital’s gift shop, where she became one of the leaders of the shop. Her contributions to the success of the hospital, both old and new, led her to being placed on the board of the hospital. She was also very active in establishing Helping Hands of Paulding County, where she volunteered and was on the board. She spent many years ensuring that Helping Hands had the resources they needed to support the community, while also serving the individuals who came in seeking help. Carol put her organizational skills to use in supporting the River of Life at Dallas FUMC. She was in charge of organizing, cooking, and serving three meals a day to several hundred volunteers as they worked in the Paulding County community. Her overwhelming contribution as a volunteer in the county were recognized when Carol was awarded the Ken Thigpen Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015 by David Austin, serving as the Paulding County Commissioner at the time. When asked about Carol, Mr. Austin said, “no one has a bigger heart for helping others than Carol”.
Carol was also an avid advocate for family travel. When she lived in Smyrna, she was an active member of “Travelers on Wheels,” a local community of family campers, and spent many hours planning trips with the group and then taking those trips in the family’s camper. She planned a month-long family vacation in that camper, and the family took that trip in 1976, ranging from Georgia down to the Mexican border, over to San Francisco, and back up through the Dakotas. During that trip, the family experienced a lot of the natural wonder of the country, including the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Yosemite, the Sequoyah National Forest, and Yellowstone. She also made several longer trips with George and other members of the family to many locations around the country and the world, including Alaska, Hawaii, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Switzerland.
Benson Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mrs. Carol Griffin Barber.
To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Mrs. Carol Griffin Barber hosted by Benson Funeral Home.
