Barbara Marie Southern, 79, of Longview, Texas, died in her sleep on Feb. 9, 2022. Barbara loved reading, gardening, and helping others. She was a housewife devoted to her friends and family.

Born in Odessa, Texas, on May 5, 1942, Mrs. Southern graduated from Odessa Permian High School in 1960. She went to Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. At Texas Tech, she met her husband Thomas Martin Southern.

Mrs. Southern is survived by two children, John Wesley Southern and Michellea Lea Southern-David; her granddaughter Mickaylea “Kiki” David; her brother and sister-in-law, Tryon and Trudy Lewis; her nieces Eleanor “Ryan” and Annie Lewis; and her nephews Cody and Wes Smith.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Erma Lea Beauchamp Lewis, and father, Tryon “Bud” E. Lewis; and sister Betsy Lewis Smith and brother-in-law Wesley Smith II.

The funeral will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Stockton, Texas, on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, at 10 a.m. Flowers can be sent to First Presbyterian Church, 202 North Oklahoma Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735.

A viewing will be held Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Heritage Funeral Home in Fort Stockton between 7-9 p.m.

Memorials may be made to any one of the following charities: First Presbyterian Church of Fort Stockton; Longview Museum of Fine Arts, 215 East Tyler St, Longview, TX 75601; or the Texas Shakespeare Festival, 815 Houston Street, Kilgore, TX 75662.