Barbara Hearn Baxter Gordon

A sweet soul has found a place to rest.  Barbara Hearn Baxter Gordon, age 73, of Marion, VA, died peacefully on March 11, 2017, at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, TN, from complications due to vascular disease.  She was born on May 28, 1943 in Pulaski County, VA to Naomi Rose Hackler of Elk Creek, VA and James Frank Hearn, of Wytheville, VA.  Barbara was a 1961 graduate of Rural Retreat High School and attended the nursing program at Johnston Memorial Hospital.  She served others as a registered nurse for over thirty years at Southwest Virginia Mental Health Institute, and was fascinated by the inner workings of the human mind.

She loved a good nap, eating at Cracker Barrel, doing word search puzzles, telling good stories, and spending time with her family and friends.  Never was there a gentler and more gracious soul than Barbara and being a caregiver to anyone in need was her truest source of happiness.  She was our best friend and our biggest encourager, and there is a huge hole in our hearts and in our lives that she so lovingly filled while she was here with us.

Barbara is sharing a pot of coffee and a long conversation in the Hereafter with those whom she loved dearly who went before – her beloved mother, Naomi Hackler Bennington Hearn; and her half-sister, Carolyn Bennington Huff, with whom she shared her love of nursing.  Others at this gathering include her father, James Frank Hearn; her two half-brothers – Harold Dean Bennington and James Willard Hearn; and her nephew, Thomas Dyer Huff.

She is survived by her childhood friend and husband of 15 years, William Claude Gordon, Jr., and her three children – her son Todd Baxter, and wife Laura of McKinney, Texas, and his three children-Colton, Anabelle, and Knox; her son Bryan Baxter, his daughter Carrington, and her mother Melanie, all of Marion; and her daughter Amanda Baxter and her husband Denton Staley of Marion, with special granddoggie Yoshi.  She is also survived by her close friend and former husband Chad Baxter, and her dear friend Carla, his wife, of Hampton, Tennessee.  In addition to her own children, she also had four stepchildren and lots of grandchildren including Vickie Gordon Solorzano and husband Barney of North Lauderdale, FL, with children Erick and Robbie; Lonnie Gordon and wife Sue of Palm City, FL, with children Emily, Abigail, and Madison; Bill Gordon III of Boca Raton, FL with children Christopher and Carli; and Neil Gordon and wife Kim, of Lake Worth, FL.  Barbara also had several nieces and nephews who were very special to her.

The family would like to thank the surgeons, doctors, nurses and support staff of the SICU at Holston Valley Medical Center, for caring for our sweet Barbara.  In particular, she would have been very gratified by the nursing care she received in her final days, from those who, like her, exemplified the profession.

In lieu of flowers, a gofundme.com account has been set up in memory of Barbara Hearn Baxter Gordon for the exclusive benefit of the Community Food Pantry at First United Methodist Church, in Marion, VA.  The Gordon and Baxter families have strongly supported this ministry which provides food boxes for 250+ families per month in Marion and the surrounding areas in Appalachia.

Funeral services will be held 4:00 P.M. Friday, March 17, 2017 at the Lindsey Memorial Chapel with Rev. Will Shewey officiating.  Interment will follow in the Rosewood Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.

The family will receive friends from 2:30 to 4:00 P.M. prior to the service.

Lindsey Funeral Home, Rural Retreat, VA is in charge of arrangements.  Online condolences may be sent to the family at:  www.highlandfuneralservice.com