Lila Lee Williams Barber, 94, died peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by loved ones, on January 6, 2026, at her home of 68 years in Sheffield, Alabama.
Visitation will be at Grace Memorial Funeral Home on Sunday, January 11, 2026 12:30-1:30 p.m. with a graveside service to follow at Sheffield Oakwood Cemetery in Sheffield, AL, at 2:00 p.m. with Mark Frye officiating.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons.
She is survived by daughters, Susan Peden and Mary Ann Frye (Mark); sons, John “Johnny” Barber and William “Bunky” Barber (Christal); son-in-law, Dannie Smith; grandchildren, Melia Duncan (Ben), Jenny Peden, Jake Smith (Sue), Carrie Peden, Matthew Smith (Susan), Jerry McCaig, John Donald Barber, Sara Gattis (Justin), John Frye (Charley), and Will Barber; great-grandchildren, Parker Peden, Lila Grace Duncan, Spencer Duncan, Kathryn Frye, Charlie Rose McCaig, Jaron Bell, Aaliyah Johnson, Cass Walker, and Xander Walker.
Mrs. Barber was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 41 years, John “Red” Barber; daughter, Rebecca “Becky” Smith; parents, Henry and Blanche Williams; son-in-law, Jimmy Peden; sisters, Faye Page, Gloria Davis, Leta Day, and sister-in-law Clint Tuggle.
Mrs. Barber was born at home on May 26, 1931, to Henry Swan and Blanche Budden Williams, the second of four daughters. She grew up in the shadow of the Great Depression and learned the value of generosity of spirit and quiet fortitude early on. A native of Rogersville, she was a 1950 graduate of Lauderdale County High School. As a teenager, she worked the ticket counter at the local movie theater, where she met and fell in love with a “good-looking” young man recently home from his service in the United States Army. They very romantically eloped and married on New Year’s Eve in 1950 and settled in Sheffield to raise their family there, along with many much-loved pets. Mrs. Barber was a homemaker. She was a Girl Scout leader, bravely taking groups of young girls camping and hiking, teaching them to sew and to one day be strong women. She was one of the original Avon ladies, where she was successful in no small part due to her beautiful complexion and perfectly applied lipstick. Mrs. Barber worked for the local telephone company. She “took the paper” for many years, as she called it, making sure to read her local newspaper nearly every day. A lifelong reader, she also worked for many years at the Sheffield Public Library, where she loved giving children, including her own grandchildren, their very first library card and helping them pick out books to read. In later years, Mrs. Barber followed her heart and began working at a local daycare, caring for and loving the babies lucky enough to have been placed in her class.
Her husband passed away in 1991, and she survived another nearly 35 years, a true matriarch of her family. She was known first as Lila, then Mother, Grandmother, Grandmom, and later Granny, with each new generation claiming her as their very own. Mrs. Barber always had a soft lap for her five children, ten grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and her many nieces and nephews. She could be found helping and, by example, taught her family the value of service to others. Mrs. Barber knew a good meal could make nearly anything manageable, and one of her greatest joys was making sure her family had enough to eat. She was the proud wife and grandmother of United States veterans and never missed the opportunity to thank the service men and women who also answered the call to serve our country. Mrs. Barber made sure to express her gratitude to the many healthcare workers who cared for her and her family over the years, usually with a basket of sweets. So on behalf of our beautiful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, we would like to express our sincere thankfulness and appreciation to the wonderfully kind doctors and nurses at NAMC, Florence Nursing and Rehabilitation, and Preferred Hospice Care who cared for her in her final months.
She will be remembered by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as she lived, graciously, generously, and lovingly. If you knew her, you loved her, and we loved her dearly.
