Barbara Eileen Padgett, 91 of West Salem passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 11th, 2025, and went to be with her Lord and Savior.
She was preceded inb death by her loving husband, Donnell Elsworth Padgett; her father, Everett Lewis and stepmother Hazel; her mother, Alice (Hurd); her sisters, Betty Cook and Viola Kelly; and her brother, Donald “Bud” Lewis. She is survived by her children, Sheila (Robert) Lyons, Danielle (Patrick) Gill, and Donnell “Chip” Padgett Jr. (Andrew) ; her grandchildren, Chad (Crystal) Cowling, Ashley (David) Marshall, and Jabez Gill; and her great-grandchildren, Caleb, Elias, and Luke Slater, and Colton and Camillia Cowling.
Born on January 20th, 1934, in Flora, Illinois, Barbara graduated from Olney Central College and Colburn’s Beauty Academy. A longtime resident of West Salem, Illinois, she worked as a teacher’s aide at West Salem Grade School and later as a school secretary at Bone Gap and Albion Grade Schools. She owned and operated a beauty shop (The Mop Shop) from her home before moving it into town with a neighbor, naming it “My Neighbor’s Beauty Shop.” A talented artist, Barbara also worked for Sarvisberry (an arts & craft company), designing and producing unique products that were sold in department stores like Macy’s and others for multiple years. She was also commissioned by many others to provide personalized and original paintings before retiring and relocating to Alabama to be closer to family. Barbara was kind, hard-working, sweet, compassionate, and had a wonderful sense of humor, but above all, she was a dedicated mother, deeply loved by her family, and she will be dearly missed.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 19th at 1 p.m. at Little Prairie Christian Church in Albion, Illinois. Family and friends are invited to join in honoring her memory.
Comments