Barbara Grant

GRANT, Barbara Ann, 82, of Littleton, N.C. on Lake Gaston, passed away on January 1, 2015 at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born to the late Roy L. Fillmore and Florence Jackson on June 15, 1932 in Brockton, Mass.; and was also preceded in death by her brother, George Nelson; and her only daughter, Dawn Grant Sarver of Matoaca. She was raised with love by her real parents, Hugh and Annie Nelson; and grandmother, Hattie Tuttle, all of Hampden, Maine. She attended school in Hampden, Maine and graduated from Hampden Academy in 1950. During that year, she also married the love of her life and together they made their home in Hampden for a short time and then moved to Ludlow, Mass., where George was stationed with the Air Force. From there, they moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, and then on to Horseheads, N.Y. and Long Island. Their last tour of duty was in Germany for two years. During their time in Germany, they traveled all over Europe and made many friends with who are still in contact. Returning to the U.S. in 1973, the family settled in Richmond, where they retired from the Air Force and joined their oldest son, Musky and his family. Barbara worked as an executive secretary, first to Dave Catterton and then to Frank Bedell with Virginia Petroleum Jobbers Association for 17 years. She was also a licensed real estate agent with the firm of McCaffery Real Estate, in Chesterfield, for many years. She retired with her husband to their "lake house" on the water at Lake Gaston, where they enjoyed many years entertaining their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as many friends. As the children came along, they learned to swim, water ski, drive the boat and ran the wheels off the golf cart, all of which brought joy to Barbara and George. They sold their lake house in 2014 and moved back to Chesterfield to be near their children and grandchildren. Barbara was a member of the Ladies Club of Lake Gaston, the Red Hatters of the Lake, the Eaton's Ferry Chapter of the AARP and she attended the Methodist Church in Ebony, Va. She also joined her husband and several friends in a local band, where she sang and played tambourine. They played at several nursing homes in the area and enjoyed that so much. She is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, George Edward Grant; two sons, Douglas George "Musky" Grant and wife, Rhonda, of Chesterfield and David Michael Grant and wife, Andrea, of Goochland; daughter-in-law, Debra Grant; five grandchildren, Dean Grant and wife, Amy, Denyse Grant, DeAngela Wells and husband, Jacob, Brittany Sarver and Kaitlyn Grant; four great-grandchildren, Tyler Southard, Ryan Grant, Brandon Southard and Kelsey Grant; her brother, Ray Nelson and wife, Verna, of Hermon, Maine; sisters-in-law, Patricia Whitney, Donna Morrison, Sandra Rogerson and Joyce Nelson; brothers-in-law, Walter Grant, Donald Rogerson, Walter Whitney and David Morrison, all of Maine; several nieces and nephews; and her best friend, "Miss Holly" dog. She will be greatly missed by her family and many friends. A Memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Monday, June 15 at the Hampden-Gilpatrick Chapel of Brookings-Smith, 45 Western Avenue, Hampden where the family will receive friends at 1 p.m. until the time of the service. Interment will be in Lakeview Cemetery on Rt. 9 in Hampden. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Bangor Humane Society, 693 Mount Hope Ave. Bangor, ME 04401 or to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 6931 Arlington Rd., Suite 200, Bethesda MD 20814. Condolences to the family may be expressed www.BrookingsSmith.com