Inez Boaz Barker

Inez Olive Boaz Barker, 103, passed away peacefully at Gibson House and into the arms of Our Lord and Savior on Sunday, August 7, 2022.

A celebration of life service will be held at 2 pm, Saturday, August 13, 2022, at Wilkerson Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Travis McGuirt and Dr. Ron Boswell officiating. A burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens.  For those unable to attend, the service will be recorded for your convenience.  Visitation with the family will be received one hour prior to the service and at other times at the Barker homeplace, 752 Moss Street, Reidsville NC.

Inez was the 10^th of 11 surviving children born on May 25, 1919, to the late John Ballard and Mary Olive Boaz in Ridgeway, Virginia.  She attended Joppa, Hopper, and Ridgeway Schools.  At the age of 24, she married the love of her life, David Alfred Barker on September 10, 1943, and they made their home in Reidsville NC.  To this union were born two children, Shirley Jean, and David Wayne.  Inez was a loving homemaker while also maintaining a career in the textile industry at both Brookside and Burlington Industries. 

Inez was a vibrant woman who loved life to its fullest.  She had the gift of being a planner and was never a stranger to hard work.  She was a task and project master and loved to travel, paint, scrapbook, crochet, sew and quilt and work in her greenhouse creating beautiful florals.  She was an avid reader and loved cards and stationery where she could display her beautiful penmanship.  Inez was baptized as a teenager and loved the Lord and served her church faithfully where she was actively involved in her ladies WMU circle, her Sunday School class and served as the church librarian.  She was a faithful member of Calvary Baptist Church for almost 80 years and currently the oldest member. Her favorite scripture was Psalm 23 and she always referenced this psalm in every greeting card that she wrote.  Inez had immense love for her family and the family unit.  She was the “glue” that kept gatherings viable.  She was known for faithfully attending the Boaz Family reunion every September.  She was affectionately known by her grandchildren as “Mema” and her children always knew to “come” for birthdays, Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas to eat a meal and just “be together.”  She celebrated her 100^th birthday with family and friends at Calvary in 2019 and maintained an independent and healthy life up until the last two months of her time on this earth.  She was a fighter.  A strong woman.  A woman of dignity, strength, and honor.  She was our ROCK.  We look forward to the day that we can see her again in the glory of Heaven.

Inez is survived by her daughter, Shirley Barker Haney (Roger) of Reidsville NC and her son, David “Wayne” Barker (Sandra) of Little River, SC; granddaughter Andrea Haney Earles (Wyndell); grandson David Clayton Barker (Andrea); great grandchildren, Ashlyn Earles, Brooks, and Colt Barker and her many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, David Alfred Barker, who was an honored WWII veteran; brothers Bill, Robert, Doug, Jamie and Richard Boaz and sisters, Myrtle Boaz, Pauline Dunn, Thelma Holt, Geneva Lynn, and Edna Stone.

The family wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to Emily Eastwood, who has been Inez’s friend and caregiver since late 2018.  We also extend our grateful thanks to Pastor McGuirt and our Calvary family who has covered us with so many prayers.   To Travis and Robin Worrell, you can’t possibly know just how much your beautiful letters and drawings of “the old homeplace” meant to Inez…she kept every single one.  And finally, our sincere gratitude to Lisa and Mona at Gibson House for their gentle care and comfort, along with Dr. Zack Hall. 

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial contributions to Calvary Baptist Church, 7860 NC-87, Reidsville NC 27320; or, Hospice of Rockingham County, PO Box 281, Wentworth, NC 27375.