MARY SUE (FUTRELL) BARBER

Mary Sue Futrell Barber, age 71, entered into the presence of our Lord on Tuesday, January 12th. She was preceded in death by her parents Lewis Futrell and Lassie King Futrell of Coalfield, and

Siblings: Kenneth Futrell of Coalfield, Tommy Futrell of Johnson City, Bill Futrell of Kingston, and Barbara Poland of Spring City, as well as brother-in-law Franklin “Buddy” Poland of Spring City and daughter-in-law Cynthia Johnson of Madisonville.

She is survived by her Siblings: Terry Futrell (Marsha) of Kingston, Margaret Rather (Jim) of Oliver Springs, and sister-in-law Roberta Futrell of Johnson City.

Children: David Johnson (Raezean) of Maryville, Bill Johnson of Madisonville, Wes Wyrick (Melinda) of Murfreesboro, and Adam Barber (Jessica) of Rockwood, as well as a host of step-children whom she loved and considered her own.

Grandchildren: Katherine Ganter (Christian), Matthew Johnson, Sara Johnson, Rhett Wyrick, Arabella Wyrick, Abbygail Barber, Noah Barber, Madelyn Barber.Great-Grandchildren Rowan and Evelyn Ganter.

And many nieces, nephews, and friends who she loved very much.

Sue grew up near the “Camp” area of Coalfield, TN. She was the baby of seven children and she would never let anyone forget that she was the youngest. She attended Coalfield High School where she excelled in academics and basketball.  Sue spent the majority of her working life in radio at stations around the country including WOFE in Rockwood, WECO in Wartburg and KKBC in Baker City, Oregon. She spent the early part of her career as a disc jockey before transitioning into investigative news and advertising. She had a passion for investigative journalism and helped to break many big local stories through the 1990’s and 2000’s. Her commentary following the tragic tornadoes that hit Morgan County in 2002 was beautiful and inspiring for many people. 

The only passion greater to Sue than her work with radio was her family and friends. She was a very loving person who was willing to help anyone she came in contact with. This passion also extended to animals. Sue never met a stray animal or person she wasn’t willing to help. She felt it was her responsibility to leave every person better than when she met them. She loved her family and friends deeply. If you had the chance to speak with her, I’m sure she told you a story about her kids or grandkids.

Due to the high level of COVID-19, Sue’s memorial service will occur in Coalfield at a later date to be determined. The family would like to thank everyone for their support during this time.

 Please leave a special memory or story of Sue at jacksonfuneralservices.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of MARY SUE (FUTRELL) BARBER, please visit our floral store.