Goldie Barbee

Goldie Francis Lamb Jackson Satterwhite Barbee, died Sunday, May 4, 2008.

Born the only daughter to William Salathiel and Mattie Francis Lamb on December 11, 1910, in Rockdale, Goldie was a sister to four brothers: Pete, Claud, Walter, and Perney. She also had half-brothers, Homer and Joe, and half-sisters, Willie, Maggie, and Hattie. Goldie was the sole survivor.

At the age of twenty, Goldie met and married Roy Calvin Jackson in Rockdale, Texas. They moved to Memphis, in 1936 where Roy farmed. They moved to Lakeview in 1940 where he worked for the WPA building the “Rock Wall” at the school. They moved to Lelia Lake in 1941, where Roy continued to farm and work in the cotton gin hoeing and pulling cotton. Goldie toiled alongside Roy in the fields as did their children, always dressed in starched and ironed clothing that had been washed using a rub board, hung on the line to dry, and pressed with a flat iron. She also canned much of the family’s food, sewed the girls’ dresses using flour sack material, and made quilts to keep them warm and to sell for extra money. She would continue this practice for most of her life, completing eleven quilts the year she celebrated her 94th birthday. She finally stored the quilt frame the next year claiming that her hands pained and her eyesight had weakened.

In 1946, Goldie began working at the EZ Laundry in Clarendon. She and Mrs. Phelan, her neighbor, rode together for years.  She and Roy bought the laundry in July 1962 and operated it until Roy’s health forced him to retire. Goldie became his caregiver while continuing to wash and iron in her home for several of her customers. She was never content to sit still and ironed for a select few until in her nineties. Their marriage of forty-four years produced son Lee Roy and daughters Della and Peggy. Lee resides in Howardwick with wife Tiva; Peggy lives in Garland with husband Gus Svensson. Della preceded her in death in May 2004, but her husband Freddie Ray resides in Amarillo.

Following Roy’s death in 1974, Goldie married Leroy “Sally” Satterwhite. Their only too brief marriage lasted just a few years, but their time together was filled with much happiness. Sally passed away in 1982.

Goldie determined the time had come for her to learn to drive and at the age of 63, she received her driver’s license after repeating the driving test three times. This was one of her proudest moments!

Three years after Sally’s death, Goldie married one of her best friend’s brothers, Frank Barbee. During their nine years together, Frank became the chief cook while Goldie continued ironing. They were actively involved with Clarendon’s Senior Citizens as well as the First Christian Church. Frank’s daughters Twilight, Nina Ruth, Maxine, and son James became part of Goldie’s extended family and loved her dearly. Frank died in 1990. 

Goldie continued living in her little house at 7th & Johns until her health forced her to move to Amarillo where she resided with daughter Della.  Following Della’s death, Goldie moved to Garland where she lived with Peggy and Gus and later at Winters Park Nursing and Rehab Facility.  She never tired of bragging about her seven grandchildren: Gary, Patricia, Toby, Cathy, Michael, Lesa, and Gregory.  When each one married and added spouses Debbie, Alan, Karen, Steve, Karen, Monty, and Melissa, Grandma had enough love for all of them. She had 16 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren. She lived on this earth nearly a full century during which time she saw changes that will never again be equaled. She watched her daddy plow the field with a horse-drawn plow, rode in her first automobile with husband Roy, witnessed the first steps of mankind on the moon, and enjoyed receiving letters via email from her children and grandchildren. She had an unshakeable faith in her Lord, an incredible work ethic, a quirky sense of humor, and a precious smile that touched everyone who ever met her. She was loved; she will be missed and never forgotten.

Goldie’s life will be celebrated Friday, May 8, at 2:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Clarendon.  The family requests memorials be made in Goldie’s honor to the First Baptist Church, the Donley County Senior Center, or to a favorite charity.