Barbara Colette

Barbara Gibson Colette
August 7, 1942 – November 19, 2025

Barbara Gibson Colette, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away on November 19, 2025.

Born on August 7, 1942, Barbara accomplished what no one in her family had before: she became the first to graduate from high school and later the first to graduate from a college nursing program. These achievements were milestones not only for her, but for her entire family, setting a new path through her determination, intelligence, and commitment to service.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George Colette; her daughter, Wendee Colette; her parents, Marry Della Forrester and Horace Wilson Gibson; and eleven of her siblings. She is survived by two siblings, Beverly Sue Volpi and David Gibson, both of Monroe, Michigan.

Barbara was the mother of six children and is survived by five of them:

Dawn (Roger) Haverty of Fairbanks

Sean (Kimberly) Colette of Arizona

Jason Colette and his partner Jessica of North Pole

Amy (Phil) Browning of North Pole

Travis Colette of Alabama

She is also survived by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

After marrying George, Barbara moved to Fairbanks in 1964, where she opened a daycare that cared for as many as 30 children. She later worked as a CNA at Denali Center while putting herself through nursing school through years of determined effort. She completed her degree in Anchorage and then moved back to Michigan to care for her father during his battle with cancer. After his passing, she returned to Fairbanks and continued her nursing career at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and the Pioneer Home, eventually rising to the position of Director of Nursing. Later, she moved to Alabama to care for her husband during his illness with the same devotion and compassion she had shown throughout her life.

Barbara was known for her strength, humility, and unwavering willingness to help anyone in need. She mentored many throughout her career and was the kind of person who would set aside her own needs to care for family, friends, and strangers alike. Though small in stature, she was mighty in spirit - just as her favorite shirt read: "From the smallest of acorns grows the mightiest oaks."

She taught her children honesty, hard work, and resilience and guided them through both life's challenges and triumphs. Her legacy of kindness, service, and determination will live on through the countless lives she touched.

The world has lost an extraordinary woman, but her influence endures in the people she loved and cared for.