of Alexander, AR

April 24, 1934 - November 18, 2024

Barbara Jean Shuker Hughes became eternal on November 18th, 2024. She joins her beloved husband Donald Byron Hughes and daughter Cindy Kathleen Hughes, as well as her parents William and Kathleen and brothers William and Arnold. She is survived by her children Donna Sue Larson, Randy Gordon Hughes (and grandchildren Katie Jean and Taylor Lee Hughes), Barry Donald James Hughes (and grandchildren Connor Reed, Corwyn MacKensie, and Brendon Duncan Jeffrey Hughes), Garry Byron William Hughes (and grandchildren Donald Arthur Conan Hughes, Adrian Garreth Hughes, and Emily Hughes and great grandchildren Aria Beverly and Aldo Levell), Karen Elizabeth Childress (and grandchildren Bobbi Leigh Flansburg, Shelby Kathleen Flansburg, and Christopher Alan DJ Flansburg and great-grandchildren Cassidy Elizabeth Mitchell and Sarahi Elizabeth Flansburg), Tammy Lynn Collins (and grandchild Zachary Austin Collins), Tina Marie Stebbins (and grandchildren Nicholas Stebbins and Matthew LeRoy Lindblad), Mark Hughes, and Christopher Robin Hughes.

Barbara Jean was born April 24th, 1934 in London, England to William Charles Shuker and Kathleen Elizabeth Mabel Shuker, the oldest of their three children. Her earliest memories were of long family weekends spent at the beach, her father's time playing with the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, and the many sacrifices her family made and the uncertainty they faced during WWII.

Her home was destroyed by Nazi bombs in the fall of 1940, the family making it to safety after the family dog frantically alerted them to the high-pitched whine of the falling bomb. Barbara remarked the dog always ate well after that.

Her father moved the family to his sister's orchards in Bedford, Bedfordshire shortly after; there they lived in a Victorian home near the main house, and Barbara often spent time on her aunt's farm gathering fruit in baskets to toss to soldiers arriving and departing on boats along the Thames.

Her first-rate intellect earned her a scholarship to Bedford Girls' Modern School (which changed its name to Dame Alice Harpur in 1946), a private boarding school for girls, where she learned French, German and Latin. Later she began work in a pharmacy while training to become a pharmacist.

Out with female friends one night at a local pub, Barbara met Donald B. Hughes, a young USAF Airman from Barlow, Kentucky stationed at MOD Chicksands near Bedford (coincidentally, where Don worked with Barbara's father William). Their chemistry was immediate, each very taken with the other. Don visited her at the pharmacy again and again to ask her out; one day she said yes, and they were later married on June 20, 1955.

Barbara and Don started a family and arrived in the US, moving first to Knob Noster, Missouri (near Whiteman Air Force Base) before finally settling down in Gravel Ridge, Arkansas (near Little Rock Air Force Base) in 1964, where she would spend most of her remaining years.

Barbara sang like an angel and was a very talented artist. She took great time and care making beautiful, intricate paper dolls for her daughters, and would often spend time sketching the children as well as designs for new outfits which she would then create at her sewing machine; her flair for creativity is a deeply enriching legacy which she passed on to all of her children. Her taste in music was surprising and eclectic; albums by artists as varied as Nathalie Cole, Michael Jackson, Kenny G and ELO shared space on her shelf.

Nothing gave Barbara more joy than the hunt for antiques. She operated an antique mall in Gravel Ridge with Charles and Mary Dillon for many years, and had lively, eclectic booths at several regional antique malls. She had a particular eye for rare and valuable glassware, ceramic and porcelain. Mornings often found her on the hunt for hidden treasures at Estate and Garage Sales all over Little Rock and North Little Rock, and as many of those finds made their way into her personal collection as they did into her booths.

Barbara loved a good mystery: she could often be found reading the works of Agatha Christie, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwall, Martha Grimes, PD James, James Patterson, Ruth Rendell, and John Sanford. She also was a devoted fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. She loved roses, hydrangeas and mums.

Barbara was deeply charitable, never missing an opportunity to reach out and offer direct compassion to those in need, and it is a value which endures in her children.

Barabra Jean will be so missed because she was so loved and is so irreplaceable. She gave all of herself. Words do not do her justice, only our love can hope to do that.

A private ceremony will be held at Roller-Alcoa Funeral Home in Benton, at 1pm on Sunday November 24th. The family requests donations to the Heiffer Project or the Global Penguin Society be made in Barbara's name, in lieu of flowers and memorial gifts.

Obituary Provided By:
Roller-Alcoa Funeral Home
6700 Alcoa Road
Benton, AR  72019
www.rollerfuneralhomes.com