Barbara Ann Adams

Barbara Ann Adams, 92, of Garner, NC, went to be with our Lord and Savior, Sunday, September 18th, 2022.

She was born in Salem, West Virginia in 1930, and was the only child of Alton David and Letty Ann (Nicholson) Hall. She graduated from Salem High School in 1948 and from West Virginia Business College in 1949.

She married her high school sweetheart, Jennings Eugene (Gene) Adams, on October 24 th , 1948. They remained married for 38 years until his death in 1986. Together they nurtured five children which she considered her greatest accomplishments.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, one grandchild, and one son in law. She is survived by her children, daughter Debby (Adams) and husband Raul Rodriguez, daughter Cathy (Adams) Kidwell, son David Adams and wife Sandy, twins Connie and Ronnie Adams, numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren.

In her professional life, she worked for the City of Salem as an Administrative Clerk until being hired by the Harrison County Board of Education at Van Horn Elementary in 1975. There she worked for 17 years, first in a secretarial position and later as a classroom aide with learning disabled students retiring in 1992. After retirement, she moved to Garner, NC in 1998.

Barbara was devoted to a life of service, caring for her family, and a deep faith in God. Our heavenly father blessed her with a love of music, a wonderful singing voice, and tremendous talent at the piano. She began taking piano lessons at age 4 and played her first church recital at age 6. She continued to play and sing and served as the organist and choir director at several churches. After moving to Garner, she accompanied and directed the Saints Alive Senior Choir at Garner UMC. She was always active in other aspects of the church including, United Methodist Women (Unity Circle), teaching several Sunday School Classes, and leading the Disciple Bible Study. She felt it was her calling to share her musical gifts by playing and singing for school choirs and programs, many weddings and funerals, and community gatherings. She also enjoyed playing piano and singing old fashioned hymns with residents at local senior care facilities. She was active in the Rebekah Lodge for 40 years, serving as Rebekah Lodge Treasurer for the State of West Virginia.

Her hobbies included the daily successful completion of the newspaper crossword and playing bridge. She was a member of 2 bridge clubs and played with her friends at the Garner Senior Center. She enjoyed visiting her family and traveling, including a trip to visit her daughter in Germany and while there she attended the Passion Play in Oberammergau, which is only presented once every 35 years.

After retiring, she made a cross country drive to visit west coast relatives and see America and then went on a cruise to Mexico with her family. She loved attending concerts and theatrical performances at Raleigh Memorial. Later in life, she developed a fondness for collecting angel figurines, especially those playing musical instruments. The greatest of all her hobbies were the many cherished friendships she was so blessed to enjoy.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday October 1, 2022, 11:00 am, at Garner United Methodist Church, 201 Methodist Drive, Garner, NC 27529. Honoring Barbara’s wishes, in lieu of flowers the family would prefer donations be made in her memory to Garner United Methodist Church.