Barbara Johnson Appleby

Barbara Johnson Appleby died on Sunday, May 3, 2015, at the age of 84. She is preceded in death by her husband Robert Travis Appleby (Bob). She leaves behind three children, Charlton C. Tooke III (Loretta), Susan Koles Rickman (Victor), and Robert T. Appleby, Jr., and three grandchildren Asher Koles, Eli Koles, and Travis Appleby.

Barbara grew up in Jefferson, Georgia, the youngest daughter of Albert Sidney and Richie Johnson. Her siblings Hillyer Johnson, Hazel Johnson Moore, Margaret Johnson Tyson, and Albert Sidney Johnson, Jr., preceded her in death.

Having graduated from Martin Institute in Jefferson, Barbara attended Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College) in Milledgeville. She was a soprano and the secretary for the school's well-known A Capella Choir and served as a senior class officer. Among her fondest memories of GSCW was competing for the "Golden Slipper" during a spirited theatrical competition. After receiving her B.A. in 1951, she taught English at several schools in North Georgia including Banks County High School, Athens High School, and Jefferson Elementary School. As an English teacher, she was known for holding students to her high expectations while teaching them to become excellent writers, both creatively and technically. An "A+" from her was cherished and her students remember her fondly.

After marrying Robert Appleby in 1960, Barbara devoted herself to caring for her husband and three children and to making a warm and loving home. She supported Bob in his work that took him to Beloit, Wisconsin, Illinois and Florida, and then back to Georgia. Throughout, Barbara served the churches to which she belonged, as a member and leader of various committees, as an elder, and as a Stephen Minister. She particularly loved her church family in Lilburn, Georgia, Good Shepherd Presbyterian, and was pleased, after moving back to Jefferson, to rejoin the church of her childhood, Jefferson First Methodist.

A service in Barbara's memory will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, at 4:30 p.m., at Jefferson First Methodist Church, 188 Martin Street, Jefferson, Georgia. Friends and family may call one hour prior to the service. She loved flowers, having grown up in the home across the street from the church, with the beautiful gardens her mother tended. But in lieu of flowers at this time, more appreciated would be a gift of love to the church in her honor.

Evans Funeral Home, Jefferson. 706-367-5467.

Online Condolences at www.evansfuneralhomeinc.com