Barbara Louise Randolph Barkley

b. January 8, 1941 Tucson, Arizona
d. May 26, 2017 Sonoita, Arizona

 Barbara grew up both in Sonoita and Tucson and spent several years in the Bay Area in California where she graduated from Albany High and raised her children from her first marriage to Peter L. Carter. She returned to her roots in Arizona in Sonoita and was seen as a pillar in the Sonoita community working as a real estate broker/owner, developer and property manager.

 She also volunteered hundreds of hours over the years serving on local boards and committees including the Sonoita Crossroads Forum, and the Sonoita/Elgin Chamber of Commerce. She founded the annual local Community Christmas party and was named "Woman of the Year" in 2003. Her passions included music, dancing, gardening, entertaining, cooking, sewing, children and helping those in need.

 She met Dick Barkley and in 1987, when she was managing the Stage Stop Inn in Patagonia, she organized a large New Year's Eve party. She and Dick decided to surprise everyone by getting married just before midnight. According to Dick's biography in the Arizona Pioneer Stockmen Ranch Histories, "The music stopped and (when) it was announced that we were getting married, I was in the bathroom. My wife found herself standing alone with the preacher on the bandstand. Sam Fraizer hollered out, 'Barbara, I think I just saw him barreling down the road in his pickup.'"

 Dick and Barbara built a new home in Sonoita and established Sonoita Realty, which they operated for 16 years before selling the business to their daughter Kathy O'Brien in 2003.

 Barbara was the mother of Kimberly Fields, of Sierra Vista, Kiersten Lowry of Angels Camp, California, Katherine O'Brien of Sonoita, Arizona and James Carter of San Diego, California. Her siblings were Dori Kane, Joanne Pommerville, William (Bill) Randolph, and Daniel Randolph.

Written and edited by Betty Barr and Corbin Smith with contributions from her family
and from her obituary in the Arizona Daily Star, June 2, 2017.

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