Melba Barker

Visitation will be 6-7:30PM, Friday, September 30, 2016 at Moore's Southlawn, 9350 E.51st, Tulsa, OK. Funeral service will be 9:00 A.M., Saturday, October 1, 2016 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-Tulsa, 3640 S. New Haven, Tulsa, OK. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233 Eulogy for Melba Eleanor Harrison Barker Melba Eleanor Harrison Barker, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to all who knew her, returned to her Heavenly home early in the morning of Monday, September 26, 2016. Mom was born in the small town of Pierce, Florida on April 12, 1924 to Sylvester and Ramelle Spooner Harrison. She grew up in Bartow, Florida and lived there until her marriage in 1946. She was the fourth of five children and was preceded in death by her older brother, Odell; sisters, Louise and Doris; and by her younger brother, Robert, who died in WWII. She was particularly close to Robert and missed him dearly all of her life. Even though she was a child during the Depression, she spoke of her childhood as idyllic. She played outside a lot, using her imagination, digging forts, climbing trees and playing cowboys and Indians. In high school she was involved in many activities including the National Honor Society, school newspaper, choir, cheerleading, and twice she had the lead in the school play. During the summers of her high school years she worked at the world renowned resort, The Cloisters, on Sea Island, Georgia. The beach and the ocean were a big part of her life. She missed them a great deal when she moved away. Reflecting on her high school years, she said, "we had a lot of fun and laughed a lot; we were always laughing. It was a fun time, very fun, until the war; the war changed everything." World War II brought rationing, friends joining the armed services, uncertainty, death and the end of a carefree time of life. About a year after her marriage, Mom joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptized in the Mesa, Arizona temple. Even before she was married, Mom said she knew she wanted to have five children. She stated: "Of all the blessings I've had, my babies were the greatest. I knew that I was going to have special children; and they are all special!" She loved each of us five children fiercely; exaggerated our abilities, intelligences, beauty and accomplishments. She accepted and nurtured our individuality and uniqueness. She celebrated our successes and comforted us in our sorrows. Kindness, thoughtful service to others, love of children and the disadvantaged were the hallmarks of her life. She was sensitive, creative, artistic and generous to a fault. She served God by lovingly serving her family and others. As children her three daughters anticipated her yearly Christmas gift of a homemade soft, warm, flannel nightgown. On one occasion while working as a sales clerk in the children's department of Clark's Good Clothes, a mother came in looking for nightwear for her young daughter. She was unable to find anything that would fit over the cumbersome leg brace the daughter needed to wear for a long period of time. Mom volunteered her talent to sew a custom nightgown that fit over the leg brace. It was quite by accident that we discovered mom had rendered this service as her service was often done quietly, without drawing attention to herself. She dreaded the day when she could no longer live independently yet when her daughter, Kathy, had to tell her the time had come to move to a care center, the first thing she said was, "Kathy, that must have been so hard for you to tell me." As usual, her first thoughts were about the welfare of others. Her love of nature - animals, trees, flowers, pinecones and birds, especially birds - was legendary. She fed the birds throughout her life. Her favorite was the cardinal. Mom was known far and wide for her love of cooking and baking. True to her southern upbringing, it was her way of showing love and hospitality to family and friends. She was famous for her homemade rolls, insisting they be enjoyed hot from the oven. She worked many years in the food catering business, enjoying it very much, though it required long and strenuous hours. She loved little children and served for over seventeen years in the church nursery. It was a sad day when she needed to be released from this calling due to her age. Mom passed on her strong work ethic to her children for which we will always be grateful. She developed an inner strength and fortitude that served her well through the many vicissitudes of her life. She experienced numerous physical and emotional challenges. Around 1990, she underwent heart surgery. In defiance to the medical doctor�s opinion that she had another ten years to live, she lived an additional twenty-six years! We learned to never underestimate her strong will to live. I close with her own words, written in 2014: "When I look back at my many experiences it is amazing to me that I have been so blessed. I have learned that faith in God, along with incredible patience, will help us endure difficulties and that we can find joy in small and simple things. My life has been tested beyond belief but my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God will never waiver." Thank you, Mom, for the legacy you left us. We love you. Delivered at her funeral October 1, 2016 by her daughter, Laura Barker Mortensen

Melba Barker

April 12, 1924 - September 26, 2016