Barbara Ann Hanley

On September 25th the brightest star in the sky was dimmed when our beloved Barbara eased into rest in Huntsville, Alabama. Barbara Ann Cole was born to Nancy Hawkins and Ronald Cole on October 27th 1988 in Modesto City Hospital while her big sister Debra was at home anxiously awaiting her arrival. While Debra only had to wait 11 months to claim the title of big sister, Barbara had to wait 16 years and finally claimed her title with the arrival of her youngest sister Sarah Elizabeth Hawkins. Barbara was a loving (although timid) child who burst through every door wearing the biggest smile. When she was 17 she gave everybody the shock of their lives as she proudly announced her recent enlistment into the United States Army. The family watched in awe while she graduated boot camp on her 18th birthday and shortly after kissed her goodbye as she bravely endured a deployment to Iraq. Barbara served her country working in a hospital an arms length away for the frontlines of the horrors of war. She selflessly rendered aid to others for four years before transitioning into civilian life. In 2008 our hearts grew when she welcomed a beautiful baby boy (lovingly referred to as “baby oatmeal”) Aiden Ross Salazar. Not long after, Barbara’s horrors of war instantaneously became distant when she was thrown into a battle that would change every aspect of her profusely, learning her second child, Nes Ian Hanley, would not be joining her earthside. A year later there was finally an opening in the sky when her rainbow baby, Phoenix Nes Hanley was born. Then, just one day after her great-grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary we were introduced to the beautiful Alex (Alexandria) Raven Hanley. Two years later our hearts blossomed when she welcomed her 5th and final child Adalynn Rose Hanley. While we have tirelessly racked our brains trying to put Barbara into words, we’ve come to the conclusion that there are no words to describe the light and love Barbara was to everybody. However one thing is for certain, there was never a truer example of the quote “to know her was to love her.” Some of the people we now consider the luckiest are her Dad Ronald, grandpas James “Jimmy” Cole and Lawrence Greenfield, her step dad Freddie Hawkins and her step sister Sherry Allen because they now have our sweet Barbara. But we know everything pales in comparison to the moment she met her son. The ones who have been granted the highest honor of continuing her legacy begin with her four beautiful children Aiden, Phoenix, Alex and Adalynn. Following them is her mother Nancy, sisters Debra (Josh) Dodson, and Sarah, nieces Bethany and Christy, nephews Clayton, Max, Brad, Chad, and David, countless others and who could forget her little sidekick Jack-Jack.