FRANKLIN - Barbara C. Anderson died on Jan. 10, 2022, at the age of 94, after a well-lived life. Her family will celebrate her life at a memorial later this year.
Barbara was born to Thomas and Ruth Cabe in Franklin and grew up in Maryland and Virginia. She graduated in 1944 from Varina High School in Virginia and in 1948 from Madison College (now James Madison), with a BS in History. From there she began the globe-trotting journey that brought her so much joy throughout her life. She took a teaching position at Albrook Air Force Base, Panama Canal Zone, where she met and married Lieutenant Harold (Andy) Anderson. The Air Force sent them to bases in Puerto Rico and Louisiana before Andy left active duty to attend Louisiana State University, where both continued their education. Barbara earned a master’s in education in 1956.
Barbara and Andy, with their five children, continued to explore the U.S. and the world, living in Arkansas, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Connecticut, and Florida. Barbara settled in Madisonville, Louisiana, in her later years.
She delighted in learning and experiencing new things. At 36 she learned to fly, qualifying for her pilot license on the same day as Andy. At 42 she learned to ski in the Swiss Alps. At 47 she learned to sail in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. At 58 she helped Andy renovate his family’s Arkansas home. At 59 she and Andy became realtors in Florida, “selling sand,” as she put it. At 78 she went hot air ballooning over Cappadocia, Turkey. At 81 she stayed in a tent in the Indian desert to experience the Pushkar Camel Fair.
Always ready for a good party or adventure, she made many friends all over the world, and kept up with them throughout her life. She was a vivacious hostess who enjoyed cooking for a crowd, embracing the southern Louisiana motto “Laissez les bons temps rouler” (let the good times roll).
She encouraged that lifelong learning and sense of adventure in her children Michael, Mark, Melissa, Mitzi and Matthew, and delighted in their accomplishments and those of her grandchildren, often saying her greatest pride was in her family. She combined her love of family and adventure by organizing family reunions in Austria, Florida, New England/Canada, the Caribbean, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Scotland.
She was preceded in death by her husband Andy; son Michael and daughter-in-law Vivian Anderson. She is survived by brother, Thomas Cabe; sister, Alice Bridges; children and their spouses, Mark Anderson and Susan Scalfi, Melissa and Mike Planert, Mitzi and Stephen Goldstein, Matthew and Raymi Anderson; grandchildren, Jennifer Scott (James), Thomas Planert (Marin), Katie Chrisman (Tim), Maya Anderson, and Camryn Anderson; and three great-grandchildren.
For those who would like to honor Barbara, please keep her memory alive. Gather with friends and family and tell her story, send her children a note about your adventures with her, or simply lift a glass in her honor. She always loved a good party, good company, and good stories.