Barbara Sanderson Robinson passed away Tuesday, March 31, 2020, here in Wilmington. She was born March 26, 1926, at home about 6 miles east of Burgaw to Della Maye Hocutt Sanderson and Richard Sanderson.
All of her seven sisters and two brothers preceded her in death, as well as her parents and husband.
Barbara grew up on a dairy farm and graduated from Burgaw High School at the top of her class in April 1943.
That very night she went to live with her sister who operated a boarding house at 2nd and Grace streets, the Wayside Inn, here in Wilmington. She was up the next morning at 4 a.m. cooking a pound of bacon at one time and a dozen eggs for her guests. She was about ready to go back to school if life was going to be like that, but she met a nice lady several months later in the dining room who recommended her for a job at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She applied the next day and got the job.
It was a GS-I job performing messenger and payroll duties. She worked for the Corps for about 30 years, except for a few months. At the time of her retirement, she was a supervisory personnel management specialist, GS-11. She was the second highest grade woman and the only GS-11 woman in the office. Her duties consisted of personnel management duties, which included serving as personnel officer in her absence.
Barbara survived two breast mastectomy operations during her lifetime, one in 1968, and another in 1986. They were not related cancers. She survived numerous other cancer related surgeries.
During her tour of duty at the Corps, she furnished arrangements of flowers (mostly flowers) for functions the Corps had. At one time, she needed and arrangement and did not have any flowers, so she made some red carnations out of crepe paper and used fresh live ferns; it turned out beautiful. When the ceremony was over, one employee who was sitting at the back told Barbara, “those flowers were so pretty, I smelled them from where I was sitting.”
She put God and country first and took her oath of office seriously. She was a hard worker.
Barbara was very generous, creative and a fun-loving individual. She always enjoyed giving more than receiving. She loved making jams, pies and cakes and giving them to friends. One time, she made a black walnut cake with pecans and black walnut flavoring because she had a lot of pecans, but no black walnuts. It turned out really good, so her husband asked her where she got the walnuts. She told him “at the store.” He wanted to know when she was going to bake another one. She told him, “as soon as I get some more black walnuts.” She then told her husband the truth after she cooked about three cakes, because she couldn’t keep from laughing. (He had taken some to his friends at the railroad and they liked it.) She made many pretty things for the home.
She is survived by lots of nieces and nephews, one yellow tom cat, Thomas, who has been a friend of hers for over 20 years.
A special thanks to special friends Marilyn and Louise; caregiver, Carol; and the staff of Caring Senior Care, who cared for Barbara during her last days.
Share online condolences with the family at Andrews Mortuary & Crematory.
