Barbara Etta Claborn from Apache,
At a young age Barbara married Jimmy Josey, the love of her
life. Together they had two children, Joey and Julie Josey. After 23 years of
marriage, they divorced, yet they remained good friends throughout their lives.
Barbara, also known as 'Mama B' to most, was a beautician
and barber. She loved doing hair and was a color specialist. She was very
artistic and had an eye for fashion and design. Mama B was as colorful as her
wardrobe. Always dressing for the season with a hat to match
any outfit. Growing up her number one heart throb was Elvis Presley. In
her free time, she loved listening to music like Elvis, Foreigner, Bob Seger and more. Gardening became a lifelong hobby; her
green thumb was as strong as her heart. She was also a proud member of The
Apache Chamber of Commerce.
She later moved to
Mama B was a dedicated grandma to her grandchildren and
great grandchildren. Her family was her world. She would come to every football
game to cheer on her grandsons Zack and Gage. She was an avid Warrior and OU
football fan. From her hat down to her socks she was always covered in orange,
black and white on Friday nights and crimson and cream every Saturday. On
Sundays, she loved going to church and spending time with family and friends.
She shared her outfit skills with granddaughters Jade and Skye and loved
dressing them up for church. Her closet was also always open to her two
beautiful great granddaughters Emry and Bree where they loved to put on a fashion show by dressing
in Mama B's dresses, hats, and jewelry. She also loved watching her great grandson
Slade play football, and her great grandson Braxen
loved getting her mail for her and eating her lemon cake and other snacks. Mama
B was a very giving and caring person, showing it through her love for the many
nieces and nephews she had on both the Claborn and
Josey side of the family. They would keep up through visits, photos, and cards.
Her love was always returned through spending time with them and many phone
calls. She never missed a beat.
She left us at the age of 78 on
Barbara's celebration of life was held Saturday, May 14, at
11 am, at the First Christian Church in Apache, OK.
Arrangements were entrusted to Crews Funeral Home/Oakcrest
Cremation Center.
Barbara was preceded in death by her son, Joey Josey;
granddaughter, Skye Josey; parents Robert and Roberta Claborn;
brothers: Bobby Claborn and Marion Claborn; and sisters: Mary Joyce Swanda
and Virginia Brush.
Survivors included daughter: Julie and husband Justin Kretzer of Apache; grandson: Zack and wife Julie Josey of
Chickasha: grandson, Gage Josey of Apache; granddaughter: Jade Josey of Apache;
great grandchildren: Emry, Slade, and Bree Josey of Chickasha and Braxen
Josey of Apache; brother, Billy and wife Cecile Claborn
of Apache; brother, Andy and wife Vicki Claborn of
Siloam Springs, Arkansas; and wife-in-law, Belinda Josey of Anadarko.