Tributes
Lady Barbara White Wilkinson, 86 years young, of Florence Kentucky went to her heavenly home on Saturday, November 11, 2023. She passed away at home despite her valiant battle with cancer under the care of several nieces and nephews, along with Hospice care in her final two months.
Barbara Jane White was born in Buchtel, Ohio on February 20, 1937 to the late William Byron and Elizabeth Mary Sheskey White. She graduated from Ohio University and worked as a registered and licensed Dietician, finally retiring from St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Covington where she had been the Director of Nutritional Services. Food was a lifelong passion and she was a wonderful gourmet cook renowned for her dinner parties and events and FABULOUS Christmas cookies and candies.
Barbara was an adventurer at heart and travelled the world with her husband, her siblings and their spouses, nieces, and friends. It was on one of these excursions that she was awarded the English Title Designation as Lady Barbara Wilkinson on June 12, 2020 under the House of Pierpont-Archer. She took this title quite seriously and literally was referred to thereafter as Lady. She wore this proudly.
She enjoyed 42 years of blissful marriage to her beloved, Billy Ray Wilkinson who passed away in 2009. Also preceding her in death are her brother William White and his wife Josephine, sister Lady Elizabeth Ann McDonald and her husband Charles, and sister Lady Patricia Turner. She is survived by brother-in-law Kenneth Turner. Also, not having been blessed with children of her own, she dearly loved her ten nieces and nephews, their spouses and children. Lady Aunt Barbara was a surrogate mother to all.
Lady Barbara was a member of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, the Florence Elks Lodge and St. Paul’s and St. Tim’s Senior groups and was a Kentucky Colonel. She enjoyed playing cards with her family and many blessed friends.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church 7301 Dixie Highway, Florence KY on Friday, November 17 at 11:00 am. As a last request Lady Barbara wishes for family and friends to gather for a Celebration of Life (immediately following Mass) at the Florence Nature Park Event Center 7200 Nature Park Drive (off Banklick Street). In lieu of flowers, sympathy may be expressed by a memorial donation to Hospice of St. Elizabeth Medical Center 483 S. Loop Road Edgewood, KY 41017 or St. Vincent DePaul 7110 Turfway Road Florence, KY 41042, or the Florence Elks National Foundation 7704 Dixie Highway Florence, KY 41042.
St. Paul Catholic Church
7301 Dixie HwyFlorence, KY 41042
Phone: (859) 371-8051
St. John Cemetery – Ft. Mitchell, KY
Address: 1 St. John Rd Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017Florence Nature Park
7200 Park View DriveFlorence, KY 41042
Shining star
Lady Barbara Jane was a shining star in my eyes.
She was a close family friend to my mom and dad, Ruth and James Heath. She gave so much of herself to others and yes, she gave the best parties and was a wonderful cook. Many good memories of her and Billy Ray so it’s time for her to shine her star on others in heaven. You will be missed lady Barbara, my condolences to her family… she sure was special..
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