MARISSA -- Barbara Anderton, 60, died Sept. 18, 2004, at Sparta Community Hospital after a three-year battle with cancer.

She was born in St. Louis on Oct. 2, 1943, the first of nine children of Jewell and Helen (Carr) Crawford.

On Aug. 30, 1963, she married James F. Anderton in her parents' home in rural Mount Vernon.

Survivors include her husband of 41 years, James; a son, James R. Anderton of Bellville; a daughter, Janet Wietlispach of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; four sisters, Jewel Marlow and Tina Fuller of Mount Vernon, Linda Smith of Farmington, Mo., and Rae Frazier of Texico; and four brothers, John Crawford of Evans, Ga., Cranston Crawford and Jim Crawford of Mount Vernon and Tim Crawford of Lakeland, Fla.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Barbara was a very loving and giving wife, mother, sister and friend to many. She started working as a nurse's aide at Sparta Community Hospital in 1978 and graduated from Licensed Practical Nurse school in 1982. She continued working as a LPN at Sparta Community Hospital until 1998, when she took a position at Family Health Care in Sparta. Over the years, she has cared for and touched the lives of many patients.

Barbara had many friends in Marissa and surrounding communities through her work at the hospital. She loved going to yard sales and flea markets and collected Cherished Teddies. She brightened the lives of many with her smile, her sense of humor, her gifts and her friendship. Despite her illness, she continued being cheerful and optimistic, always thinking of others' needs before her own. She is deeply loved and admired, and she will be dearly missed.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004, at Faith Baptist Church in Marissa. Burial will be in Marissa Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today, at McDaniel Funeral Home in Sparta and from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Faith Baptist Church. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Southern Illinois, Inc. or to the family.

Source: The Southern Illinoisan
Date: 22 Sep 2004
Submitted by: Robert W. Loman