In Memory

Barbara Standley (Gillingham)

Barbara Jolly Standley Gillingham, (ARLINGTON)the sweetest thing God ever wrapped skin around left us Saturday, January 29, 2011. Barbara lost her long and brutal battle with breast & pancreatic cancer.
Services: Funeral Services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Shannon Rose Hill Funeral Chapel. The family will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Shannon Rose Hill Funeral Chapel.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations be made to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, Texas 77210-4486. Earmark your donation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Barbara Gillingham's memory.
Barbara Jolly was born December 3, 1950 in Houston, TX and moved to Arlington, TX in 1983 with her husband Roy and sons Robby & Douglas. She never met a stranger and immediately grabbed the heart of everyone she came into contact with. She was definitely the centerpiece of our family who held us all together.
After raising her two sons, she became very active with the WWGA at Woodhaven Country Club for 21 years, during which she served as President in 1999. Barbara developed a life long bond with many of her Woodhaven buddies. She also served as a volunteer for the annual Colonial PGA golf tournament for the past 20 years.
For the past 9 years, Barbara was Vice-President of Metal Supermarkets in Ft Worth, TX; a family business that she helped foster.
She was preceded in death by her Mama, Bobbie Standley, Daddy, Robert J. Standley, Sister Adelaide Black, Brother Charlie, Grandmother, Shug, Grandfather Jimmy and Aunt Frankie.
Barbara is survived by husband of 41 years, Roy Gillingham, son Robby Gillingham and wife Gena, son Douglas Gillingham, brother & sister, Dan & Karen Gillingham, parents Robert & Wilma Gillingham, nieces Rebecca and Lisa, nephew Brad and 5 grandkids.

 

Note from Barbara Parrott McGinity

I was very saddened today to read of the death of my old friend, Barbara Standley Gillingham. I knew she had cancer but hoped she was getting better and that I could see her when I am in North Texas in two weeks..but alas..too late.

 Barbara and I were friends starting in elementary school. In the same Girl Scout troop, we really started hanging out together alot in Junior High and early into High School. We considered each other "best friends" for many of those years.

 We spent a great deal of time together during those pubescence years growing into young women. Sharing the experiences of first dates, first boyfriends, first kisses. There was a time when she was dating Bill Standard and I was going out with Walter Byrd we double dated all the time since Bill had the car. Putt putt golf, bowling, Playland Park, movies, the drive-inn...and parking on Antoine.

 Here are a couple of my favorite stories and memories about Barbara:

1) taking the bus on Long Point downtown to see a movie and stopping on the way to or from to visit her grandmother Shug and Aunt Frankie in the Sixth Ward right off of Washington Ave.

 2) My mother went out of town and I was going to cook dinner for my father. I was very excited to make him fried chicken and mashed potatoes on my own, only to be horrified when I realized I had no idea how to cut up a whole chicken. I called Barbara and her father drove her over to my house and she cut it for me. I was very grateful!

 3) Our Girl Scout troop went to Hawaii for our "senior" trip. In Honolulu, close to our hotel, they were filming episodes of a brand new show, Hawaii Five-O. We were all sitting on the curb watching, when Barbara decided to take her Swinger camera and get a picture of Jack Lord. We were all freaking out she had such nerve. She took one photo and a crew member noticed her, called her over, and then took a picture of her with Jack Lord with that little Swinger. If you remember those cameras they didn't produce that great of photos, but I swear it was the best picture that came out of it for that whole trip.

 We eventually drifted apart based on differing interests. I got in the Brigade and Barbara had a new steady boyfriend and I had none. She got married right out of high school and I went off to college so we saw less and less of each other over the years. But I was honored to be her Maid of Honor when she and Roy got married just after we graduated the summer of 1969. They had a long and happy marriage. It was always good to see Barbara at reunions, smiling and happy. I know her family will miss the "bright ray of sunshine" she always was...no matter how cloudy the day. Rest in peace sweet lady.