Sharon Barker Milligan

THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MS. SHARON BARKER MILLIGAN ARE CELEBRATING SHARON'S LIFE ON THIS EARTH, AND HER GENTLE PASSING AT THE MILLIGAN HOMEPLACE ON MALVERN AVENUE. SHARON HAD FOUGHT A LONG BATTLE WITH CANCER, AND LEFT US EARLY ON JANUARY 8, 2007. ON JANUARY 20, 1942, SHARON WAS BORN IN BOLES, AR, LATER LIVING IN JONES MILLS, AND THEN PERMANENTLY SETTLING IN THE LAKESIDE COMMUNITY. SHE GRADUATED FROM LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL IN 1960, THEN MARRIED HER HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART, PAT MILLIGAN, THE FOLLOWING YEAR. SHARON WORKED FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS AS A MUTUAL CLERK IN THE LOWER PADDOCK AT OAKLAWN JOCKEY CLUB. SHE ALSO TRAVELED TO BLUE RIBBON DOWNS AND THE KENTUCKY DERBY. THE COMARADERIE OF THE ATMOSPHERE WITH HER CUSTOMERS AND CO-WORKERS MADE HER EXCITED AND READY TO GO TO WORK EVERYDAY. FOR SEVERAL YEARS, SHE ALSO WORKED AS A SESEP EMPLOYEE FOR THE OUACHITA NATIONAL FOREST, ENJOYING HER TIME AND COWORKERS WHILE THERE. SHARON WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER PARENTS, MR. AND MRS. LYNN AND IRENE (MUD) BARKER, AND HER SON-IN-LAW, RICK "WHISKEY" ALLEN. EVERYONE WHO LOVED SHARON KNEW THE KINDNESS, CLASS AND UNENDING HUMOR AND PATIENCE SHE WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO GIVE US. SHE COULD ALWAYS KEEP A SECRET SHARED. SHE WAS ALWAYS READY TO PULL A JOKE, AND COULD ALWAYS ENJOY SOMETHING CRAZY BEING PULLED ON HER. SHE WAS A "HOOT"!! SHARON WAS A WONDERFUL, DEVOTED AND FUN-LOVING MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER, MOTHER-IN-LAW, AUNT AND FRIEND. SHE IS SURVIVED BY ONE DAUGHTER, MELINDA MILLIGAN ALLEN, OF HOT SPRINGS, AND ONE SON, MARK MILLIGAN AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW MICHELLE, OF VILONIA, AR. SHE LEAVES BEHIND THREE GRANDCHILDREN, BROOKE MILLIGAN AND FIANCEE J.D. CARPENTER, OF HOT SPRINGS AND TAYLOR TERRY AND SAWYER MILLIGAN OF VILONIA, AR. SHARON WAS BLESSED WITH A MULTITUDE OF BOTH "WHOLE-LIFETIME" AND "ONLY-JUST-ABOUT-20-YEAR-FAIRLY-NEW", CRAZY GIRLFRIENDS OF ALL AGES. A SPECIAL THANKS TO HER CAREGIVERS-- JAY J. LITTLES, LISA JONES, AND YVONNE TRUETT. ALSO, A SPECIAL THANKS TO HANDYMEN, JOHN TOBIN AND RICHARD (FLASH) PERSON. SOME OF SHARON'S BEST LOVE AND HELP CAME AS SHE SHOWED US ALL A CONSTANT AND COMFORTING EXAMPLE OF HOW TO FACE THE TRANSITION TO AND THROUGH DEATH'S DOOR WITH GRACE, HUMOR AND UNWAVERING STRENGTH. WE WILL MISS HER EVERYDAY. SERVICES WILL BE HELD AT 2:00 TODAY, JAN 10, 2007, AT CHRISTWAY UNITY CHURCH, 300 OAKLAWN ST., HOT SPRINGS, AR.