Barbara Goodall
Barbara Goodall, 91, of Breckenridge, passed away on Thursday, December 2, 2021. Her funeral service at the First United Methodist Church in Breckenridge will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, with Judy Hart officiating. The family will welcome friends for a visitation in the Melton-Kitchens Chapel of Memories from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 6, 2021.
Barbara Ann Burney Goodall was born January 16, 1930, in Hereford, Texas, to parents J.W. and Kathryn Coneway Burney. Their marriage didn’t last and the first of the miraculous events in Barbara’s life came at the age of three when her maternal grandfather traveled by train to Chicago to prevent Barbara and her younger brother from being put in an orphanage so their mother could start a new life. Their grandfather Lange, brought them back to Friona, Texas, where the second miraculous event came about. Her older cousin, R. Paul Coneway, who was a student at Texas Tech at the time but whose home was in Hereford with his parents, fell totally in love with his little brown-haired cousin and would take her to Hereford to his parents’ house every weekend he was home from school. Before long, Paul’s parents, Freida and Ray Coneway, agreed with Paul that Barbara should become a permanent part of their family at age four. That decision shaped Barbara’s life and unquestionably put her on the path to becoming the person we all knew and loved.
Freida and Ray raised Barbara and were her parents throughout their lives in every single way that mattered. They cherished her every bit as much as if she were their own daughter. And as she often said, she could never have had a better childhood and family. Barbara attended the University of Texas for a bit, but in 1950 she was elected Lion’s Club Sweetheart of the Hereford Lion’s Club. Early that year she attended a Lion’s Club convention in Childress where she met a handsome young doctor named Edwin Goodall, who was there representing the Memphis Lion’s chapter. It didn’t take long for them to realize they were each other’s future, and they married on November 19, 1950, in Hereford. They were married for 51 years until Edwin died in early 2002.
They started married life in Memphis, and then Gatesville, for Edwin’s medical practice, where they had their daughter, Deborah, in 1952. By 1956, they had moved to what would become their lifelong home, Breckenridge, where son Gregg was born late that year. Barbara and Edwin made many trips with friends and family to Las Vegas as a young couple, expanding their travel horizons further as they grew older.
Through the years in Breckenridge, Barbara enjoyed a couple of jobs, the first of which was selling one of her favorite things – clothes – at the Hat & Gown. She later built a career in the travel business, where she absolutely loved planning trips for people to travel all over the world. Little did Barbara know back in those days that she would one day travel the world herself with her daughter, Deborah.
Before their adventures began, life dealt Barbara a blow that would have kept many at home for life. In 1999 she was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery that left her with a permanent colostomy. That’s when her true fighting and indomitable spirit came to the forefront. She never let that slow her down, much less stop her from doing anything, and she and Deborah began traveling the world, albeit with an extra suitcase for the necessities of her condition. As she was so fond of saying, “I’m not COMplaining, I’m EXplaining.”
They missed only two continents in their travels: Australia and Antarctica, and they never minded that. From Russia to South America to Europe to Central America to China, a trip that also included son Gregg, wife Jan, and grandson, Travor, she saw the world and enjoyed every minute of it, making friends everywhere she went – some of whom remained in her life to the end.
Barbara not only refused to let what to many is a debilitating, crippling condition derail her life, she turned it into a positive, reaching out to others whenever she heard of anyone having a colostomy with words of encouragement, support, and offers to help them any way she could to regain/attain the rich full life she had.
She had many interests and talents closer to home. She was a gifted artist of beautiful paintings, a talented calligrapher, and a champion bridge, gin, and domino player. She played her last games of dominoes and gin rummy five days before her death, leaving Deborah with an unfinished gin rummy game in which she now will forever remain in the lead (which she usually was anyway).
Barbara was always an integral part of her children’s lives and activities as well as the lives and activities of their friends. Despite being addicted to bridge during their childhoods, she never missed any event in their lives. She drove them to out-of-town science fairs, concerts, on other trips, and hosted many parties for them. She not only made special occasions special but also made so many little moments into bright spots that shine in all those lives today.
Barbara’s life was filled with family she cherished, especially her Coneway cousins in and from Hereford, the children of her beloved brother, Paul, and their families, who always made her feel special and loved. She was also an integral part of the lives and hearts of her relatives on the Goodall side. Telling the two families apart stopped mattering to Barbara and her children a long time ago. Barbara was blessed to be part of one big loving family, many of whom were able to join her and countless friends at her 90th birthday bash in 2020.
Among those whom she and her family treasured in these last years are the loving caregivers of Clear Path, who enabled her to continue her rich full life at home with her beloved dogs to the last days of her life. With their help, she continued to meet her friends regularly for coffee at the First National Bank two to three times a week and to get her nails and hair done to perfection on a regular basis until the very last couple of weeks. She dressed every single day in her beautiful clothes and jewelry up until five days before she died. No sweats, T-shirts, or athletic shoes were ever part of Barbara’s wardrobe. Without those kind ladies and often unsung heroes, none of that would have been possible. In particular, Tanya, Lupe, Amanda, Tabeth, and Tammy: Barbara, Deborah, and Gregg can never thank you enough for loving “Ms. G” like your own.
Her life was also filled to overflowing with her many, many precious friends, who enriched her life beyond measure. Her graciousness, elegance, and kindness will always be her greatest legacy and will hopefully keep her alive in many hearts and minds.
Barbara is survived by her daughter, Deborah; son, Gregg and his wife Jan; grandson, Travor Terrell; and great-grandchildren, Gus and Veda Terrell. She is also survived by the many cousins and friends who blessed her life in countless ways.
Dr. Goodall’s House in Breckenridge was an organization near and dear to Barbara’s heart since it began, residing in the medical office Edwin built. For those wanting to honor her memory, her family asks you to consider a donation to assist them in the great work they do helping children.
Condolences and memories celebrating Barbara’s life can be made online at meltonkitchens.com.
