Obituary of Opal Barfield

Opal Jean Cox Barfield, 88, passed away August 22, 2019 in Lifepath Hospice of Sun City Center, following a brief illness.

A resident of Aston Gardens Courtyards, Sun City Center since 2011, Opal previously lived in Brandon, FL for 34 years, during which she worked as a bookkeeper for various area businesses and was co-owner of Brandon Supply Hardware. Born in Gwinnett ​County, GA, into a farming family with 13 siblings, Opal graduated from Conyers High School, then Greenleaf Business College in Atlanta.

She married her late husband Robert L. (Bob) Barfield in 1950, and is survived by four children, Donna (John) Atwood of North Bridgewater, VT, Richard (Connie) Barfield of Riverview, FL, Cathy (Allen) Clark of Keystone Heights, FL and Lisa Barfield of White River Junction, VT; six grandchildren, Julie (Jeff) Emminger, Sherry Barfield, Leah Atwood, Dawn (Matt) Clark, Rob Seaman, and Laurie Ben-Haim; her sister Reba (Ansley) Ogletree, brothers Tom Cox and Jerry (Patsy) Cox; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

After her retirement in the late 1990s, her Brandon volunteer service involvement encompassed work with Newcomers, First United Methodist Church, ECHO’s thrift shop, and many hours volunteering at Brandon Regional Hospital, where, in 2008, she was named Frist Humanitarian (Volunteer) Award Recipient. Most recently, she volunteered her time to maintain The Courtyards resident library. She was also skilled at needlepoint and much enjoyed gardening, nature, and music.

She will be buried next to her husband in a private service in New Hope Cemetery, Brandon, FL.

The Barfield family would like to thank the staff at South Bay Hospital and Lifepath Hospice who cared for Opal in her final days.

In lieu of flowers, celebrate Opal’s life by donating money in her name to the charity of your choice, give an organization the gift of your time, or simply visit people in need of companionship and brighten their lives.