Barbara Ingham

Barbara P. Ingham (b. June 3, 1933) passed away peacefully in the comfort of her home on March 5, 2022. She is survived by her daughters, Cindy Ann (Michael) Golden and Kathy Marie (Dale) Chambers of Birmingham; stepdaughters, Vicki Leigh Ingham and Cynthia Jo Ingham of Des Moines; four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Gordon Carlyle Ingham, Jr.

A graduate of West End High School, Barbara lived in Birmingham the majority of her life where she was a member of Lakeside Baptist Church. She also spent 14 years in Louisville, Mississippi, where she gained life-long friends and honed in her baking skills. She assisted with administrative tasks in a number of companies within the banking and manufacturing industries. She particularly enjoyed her 10 years in the public affairs department at the Birmingham News, where she was involved in such popular events as the Cash Word puzzle, the Alabama spelling bee, and the Miss Alabama contest.

Barbara would strike up a conversation with anyone. She made the world friendly, and yet wasn’t afraid to correct the world… particularly those who did not use their turn signal. She had a wry sense of humor, and it was the one-liners that were especially quotable. She enjoyed all kinds of music and could still pick out Clair de Lune on the piano from memory.

As a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother she made a point to make herself and her home available. She prioritized all her children’s celebrations and important life events until it became physically challenging to do so. It seemed as though it only took a grandchild asking once for a favor and she would make it happen. Barbara was beloved for many reasons, but all who knew her would agree that her sweets warmed the most hearts—caramel pound and red velvet cake, cream cheese braids, New York cheesecake and chocolate peanut butter fudge all hold fond memories. Her cooking was more than a hobby; it was a welcome to the neighborhood, a show of empathy during troubled times, a way to bring work colleagues, friends and family together. Simply put it was her love language.

Throughout her life, at whatever church she attended, she was an active member of the choir and the Woman’s Missionary Union. She had gained a beautiful soprano tone through voice training and used it to worship her Heavenly Father. Her soul was moved by classic hymns and gospel music. In the later years of her life she took a strong liking to Rita Springer’s song This Blood. If she had been able it is not hard to imagine her singing out her testimony in those final moments to any who would listen,

“Oh, there is a Blood

Oh, and it sights the blind

It heals the sick

The lonely, finds

Oh, it has the Power

To free the bound

As chains they fall

Upon the ground

So pour it out and

To cleanse my soul

And let its liquid Glory flow Because it lives

To make me whole

I owe my life

I owe my all!”

The family will greet friends from 11-12 a.m. on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at Lakeside Baptist Church 2865 Old Rocky Ridge Road, Birmingham Al 35243 immediately followed by the memorial service at 12:00.