Harriet Bruce Dodd Barlowe, of Caswell Beach, passed into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior Friday, Oct. 2, 2015, following a brief illness. She was 74.
She was born Sept. 29, 1941, in Raleigh, grew up in Wake Forest and graduated from Meredith College’s Class of 1963. While a student at Meredith, she met her future husband, Russ, on a blind date. They were married on April 22, 1962. They moved to northern Virginia, where Harriet taught at Annandale Elementary and Centreville Elementary because she loved children. Later, she was employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 10 years.
After Harriet and her husband retired, they moved to Caswell Beach in 2001. She enjoyed kayaking, gardening and long, late afternoon walks on the beach looking for seashells. In addition, Harriet was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Southern Dames and the First Baptist Church of Wilmington.
The most important thing in her life was her family. After the passing of her two sisters, Harriet took responsibility for the extended family. She did her best to heal all wounds, mend all fences and keep the family together. She made that her mission in life. Harriet wanted to be the common bond for the family and she will be sorely missed.
Harriet is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Russell Graham Barlowe Sr.; sons, Russell Graham Barlowe Jr. (Elena), of Sacramento, California and Carey Bruce Barlowe (Valerie), of Warrenton, Virginia; grandchildren, Andrew Barlowe, of Sacramento, California and Megan and Cameron Barlowe, of Warrenton, Virginia; sisters-in law, Holly Rabinovich, of Hillsborough and Felicia Howie, of Monroe; nieces, Mary O’Hara Badgett, of Winston-Salem and Eleanor Mangum Letson and her daughters Miriam, Sarah and Rebecca, of Wilmington; nephews, James O’Hara III and children, Emilie and Leo, of London, England and James Mangum III, of Benson; and close cousin, Elizabeth (Beth) Hailey, of Hampstead.
Preceding Harriet in death were her parents, Carey Newkirk Dodd and Margaret Elizabeth Green Dodd; sisters, Francina Newkirk Dodd O’Hara and Mary Ella Dodd Mangum; and her beloved Corgi, Belle.
There will be a celebration of life service at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, at First Baptist Church of Wilmington, followed by a time of visitation. A memorial graveside service for Harriet will be held in Wake Forest in December.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Brunswick Town DAR, c/o Nancy Mazzei, treasurer, 542 Riverwood Drive, SE, Bolivia, NC 28422; First Baptist Church, 411 Market St., Wilmington, NC 28401; or the American Cancer Society, 2202 Wrightsville Ave., Suite 111, Wilmington, NC 28403.
Please leave online condolences for the family at Peacock, Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service.
To view the full list of Port City Daily obituaries, click here.
