Barbara Lee Bassett Atchley, 92, of Huntsville, died Wednesday morning, August 11, 2021, at Magnolia Trace in Huntsville, Alabama. She was born February 10, 1929, in Sac City, Iowa to George and Hazel (Peacock) Bassett. She later was blessed with a sister, Elisabeth Rae in 1937. Barbara married Blake Kent Atchley in Memphis, Tennessee in 1952. They had three children, Blake Kent, Jr, Carol Lee and Barbara Jo.
Barbara moved around as a child. While in Oklahoma City in 1931 she won the Baby Beauty Cup at the Better Babies Exposition. (She always claimed she won because her dad was a doctor.) During WWII she and her family lived in San Diego while her father was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Eventually they all moved to Memphis, TN where she completed high school. She attended Southwestern in Memphis for her first two years of college and later transferred to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Education and taught elementary school in Sevierville, Tennessee. She met Blake Atchley at Southwestern, but it wasn’t until they both were at UT that they started dating. They married in Memphis on August 2, 1952, and soon moved to Dallas, Texas where Blake had a job as an aeronautical engineer for Ling Electric, which later became Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV Aerospace).
On June 27, 1954, they were blessed with their first child who they named Blake Kent Jr. On January 23, 1956, their daughter, Carol Lee, was born and their youngest, Barbara Jo (Barbie), joined the family on July 19, 1958. The family lived in Irving Texas from 1955 to 1979. Barbara was a member of First Presbyterian Church for most of that time. She volunteered her time to several organizations, including Camp Fire Girls where she led a Bluebird group. However, the majority of her time was spent taking care of her family who she loved. Barbara enjoyed reading, playing the piano, and especially enjoyed playing bridge, which she did throughout her life.
In 1979, she and Blake moved to Huntsville, AL when he took a job at Nichols Research with whom he stayed until his retirement. In Huntsville they became involved in square dancing and attended Covenant Presbyterian Church for many years. Barbara volunteered at Huntsville Hospital, Meals on Wheels and Helpline.
In 2003, Blake and Barbara moved into Carlton Cove retirement community, which later became Magnolia Trace. Blake died two months later, but Barbara was happy to be in her new home. She joined the Red Hat Society and served as the “Queen” for a time. She was a member of Huntsville Women’s Club and also served as the chairman of the Sunshine Committee at Magnolia Trace. Barbara remained active throughout her life until the COVID 19 quarantine hit. The isolation led her to inactivity. In March 2021 she moved into Willowbrooke, the skilled nursing unit of Magnolia Trace where she remained until her passing.
Barbara was preceded in death by her son, Blake, Jr. (1996); her husband, Blake, Sr. (2003); and her sister, Elisabeth (2017). She is survived by her daughters, Carol (Leslie Robinson, deceased in 1999) and Barbie (Eddie Roberts); nine grandchildren, Leslie (Morgan), Adam, Paul (deceased 2013), Patrick (Kara) and Kimberly (Geoff Bunk) Robinson. Her Roberts grandchildren are Christopher, Daniel, Diana (Cody Luker) and Cheryl (James Shafer). In addition, she has six great-granddaughters and one newborn great-grandson.
Barbara will be remembered by her friends as a friendly, loving, and intelligent lady. Her daughters and grandchildren will remember her for her constant love and guidance. She will be missed and never forgotten.
A celebration of life will be Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Magnolia Room at Magnolia Trace. The family request that you wear bright colors.
