Barbara Potts Cole

Barbara Potts Cole, age 80, resident of Crestland Drive in Columbia passed away peacefully at home on the morning of July 8th, 2025 after a fantastic life and courageous battle with extended illness.

Barbara was the daughter of the late Horace Potts and the late Icie Byrd Potts. She graduated from Santa Fe High School and on April 16, 1965 married the love of her life for 56 wonderful years, Guerry Elgan Cole who preceded her in death on September 5, 2020. During Guerry’s extended illness she never left his side and was his primary caregiver until he passed. She is a longtime member of the Jackson Heights Church of Christ, throughout her life and during her extended illness period she dedicated herself to her strong faith, to her family, to her friends and to living a wonderful full life often putting other’s before self, many laughs, many trials, and all with many warm and very beautiful smiles.

She loved travel and especially enjoyed shopping with her sisters and friends. Clothes and home interior decorating were two of her happy place hobbies. She pursued her talent and love of home interior decorating and went to work in 1981 with Mary C. Crawley’s, Texas based company, Home Interior and Gifts, Inc where she won several national sales awards and attended many national conferences and meetings.

Barbara made family life a top priority and was a wonderful mother to her three boys: Rodney Elgan Cole of Columbia, twins, Ryan Elgan Cole, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Bryan Cole and wife, Leslie Cole and their two children, Aniston Marie, and Joanna Grace of Culleoka, Tennessee whom she cherished each and every day and whom she was so proud of. Survivors included sisters: Ivie Parr, twin sister-Beatrice Duvall all of Columbia; brother: Larry Potts of Culleoka; brother-in-law: Leslie Malugin; several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her siblings: Wesley Potts, Buster Potts, G.C Potts, Eva Mae Potts, Ruby Malugin, Mary Alice Jones, Mable M. Potts Goodwin, and infant siblings: Patrica Potts, Jack and Jill Potts.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm CST to 8:00 pm CST on Sunday evening, July 13, 2025. Funeral service will be at Heritage Funeral Home on Monday, July 14, 2025 starting at 10 am with family friend and local pastor, Russell Smith officiating. Burial immediately following at Polk Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers will be: Jeff Duvall, Tracy Jones, Eric Potts, Dan Proctor, Todd Mabry, Dave Axland, Greg Tice and Blaine Hyle. Honorary Pallbearers are: Rufus Clifford, Bradley Dugger, Lee Nicholson, Charlie Norman, Dennis Pickering, Derek Cole, the Elders from the Jackson Height Church of Christ and employees of Caris Hospice.

The family sends a heart-felt and deeply appreciated special thanks to all who helped the family with health care and strong support during the extended illness period, especially four very special ladies: Briggett Collins, Josie Collins, Hannah Collins and Kenzie Chandler.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the maintenance and upkeep of the Potts Cemetery Fund in care of Dana Walters, Treasurer, 1983 Knob Creek Rd., Columbia, TN 38401.

“His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’” Matthew 25:23