Barbara Broughton Dorman, 67, passed away on October 27, 2017 after a long battle with breast cancer. She is survived by her loving husband, Andrew; brother, Mac; sister, Evangeline; children, Michael, Christopher, and Jennifer; and grandchildren, Calvin, Carter, Nigel, Kayley, Harper, Arya, and Zachary.
All her life Barbara loved to travel. She always spoke fondly of high school choir trips out west and family reunions in Virginia’s Eastern Shore. As a military spouse for many years she moved where they were stationed – from California to Virginia to Germany and back to the States, with many more stops along the way – but even once settled in Alabama she continued to explore with the people she loved. From Europe to Alaska, Barbara enjoyed seeing the world. She could cover miles at Walt Disney World in the Florida heat and never lose her good humor, or drive cross-country with her grandchildren and never lose her mind (news of her canonization is expected shortly).
At home, when not under happy siege by grandchildren, Barbara could often be found working a jigsaw puzzle, playing Sudoku, or in the vegetable garden. She made fig preserves from bushes she grew from cuttings from her parents’ home, and just this summer filled the fridge with delicious dill pickles. Mario Kart was Barb’s video game of choice; she and Andy and Mac had a long-standing tournament and it was serious business. Still, put her up against a grandchild and she’d let them win every time, just to see them smile.
We will miss the way she sang along to every song she knew and could find the harmony in any tune. We will miss her gentle spirit and ready smile, her stubborn optimism and sparkling laugh. But we’re also pretty sure her Daddy just dealt an epic game of Spite & Malice and she’s taking her seat at the table with a glass of sweet tea, a box of Samoas, and a playful gleam in her eye.
Friends and family will join together for a celebration of life on Friday, November 24th.
