BARBARA ANN STEWART ARRINGTON, 80, of
Houston, TX, and formerly of College Station,
passed away on Dec. 3, 2010.
Barbara was born in Mineral Wells, TX, to Thomas
and Lillie Stewart. Her formative years through
the Great Depression and WW II were spent in Ranger,
TX. She graduated from Ranger High School in 1947
at Ranger, TX and until her passing was a member
of the high school Alumni Association. Following
graduation Barbara married M.G. Smith and moved to
El Paso. During the years she lived in El Paso, she
worked for several companies, most notably Raytheon
Corp., and had two sons. In 1969, the marriage
dissolved and Barbara, in company with her youngest
son, moved to Dallas, TX.
A few months after moving to Dallas, Barbara was
reacquainted with a childhood friend, Major Bobby
Ray Arrington. In Nov. 1969, the couple married
and moved to McAllen, TX, for Bob's final tour of
duty in the U.S. Army. Upon Bob's retirement in 1970,
they moved to Stephenville where they established a
residence & lived until 1995, when he was hospitalized
in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease. Bob and
Barbara were married for 28 years until his death in
1998.
In 1995, Barbara moved to College Station, where she
resided for over 12 years. During that time she was a
member of the A&M United Methodist Church and served
as president of the Doers Sunday School class for 10
years. Barbara was also active in the United Methodist
Women's Circle. Outside of her church, she belonged
to the College Station New Comer's Club and played
regularly in three bridge clubs. In 2006, she moved
to League City, TX where she joined the League City
United Methodist Church and belonged to the Seeker's
Sunday School Class.
Barbara made her final move in 2008 when she took up
residence at The Clarewood House Retirement Community
in Houston. There she was active in the chapel, library,
served as secretary of the Resident's Association,
played in two bridge clubs and substituted when other
clubs were in need of a player. She loved her life at
Clarewood House and enjoyed every day.
She is survived by two sons, Mark G. Smith of Houston
and D. Scott Smith of Dublin, TX; nine grandchildren;
and two great-grandchildren.