Barbara Bacon

Barbara Kay (Leehman) Bacon passed away on Sunday June 11, 2023, in Abilene, Texas.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Friday, June 16, in the chapel at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Rd. Memorial services will be held at 1:30 pm on Thursday, July 27, 2023 at First Baptist Church in Abilene.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, July 11 at Forest Lawn-Long Beach, 1500 E. San Antonio Dr., Long Beach, CA 90807. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn-Long Beach.

Barbara was born on April 18,1945, to George and Bertha Leehman in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was raised by guardian parents Marvin Henry and Naomi Norene Weisel from the age of 6 months old.

Their family moved to California in 1946 and lived the majority of the time in Bellflower where she grew up and graduated from Bellflower High School in 1963. After the death of her father when she was 12 her mother married Isidore Levine who helped raise her until she became an adult. She took a year of nursing at Long Beach State College. Although not a nurse Barbara helped her family walk through 3 cancer hospices and 2 Alzheimer's hospices of other family members.

Barbara went to work for General telephone, working in their business office and later as a long-distance operator. She loved being a long-distance operator but got a better job when she went to Douglas Aircraft where she meant her first husband John William Forhan. They had one daughter Naomi Renee (Forhan) Gustafson.

After the birth of her daughter Naomi, Barbara went to work for Los Angeles County, Office of the District Attorney. During her forty-year career she worked as an Intermediate Typist Clerk, Legal Office Support Assistant, Senior Legal Office Support Assistant and Paralegal.

As a Paralegal she was nicknamed the hammer and the bloodhound by both her collogues and even the Public Defender's Office because she could track down priors that even defense attorneys thought could never be found and could nail down your case for a conviction. When she left the office, she was remembered for two things always being available with a smile on her face when you needed her and that she was a prayer warrior who her coworkers could go to for prayer. Some co-workers still called her with prayer requests until her death.

Barbara met her second husband Frederick Edward Bacon, Jr. when he came to work as the music minister at Grace Brethren Church in Norwalk, California. Fred and Barbara were married May 15,1993. They worked together in that church, Glendale First Southern Baptist until he became the pastor of Emmanuel Southern Baptist Church. God used Fred and Barbara to build the church from 20 people to 75 in 2 years until his death in 1999. She enjoyed serving the Lord in many ways including playing piano both in church and Sunday school, teaching children in Sunday school and Junior Church, as Children's ministry director and singing in youth and adult choirs.

After they were married Barbara became very active with Women's Missionary Union and was a worker in the Los Angeles Chapter and Director of Women's Missionary Union for San Fernando Valley and Orange County Branches. Barbara continued her education at Golden Gate Theological Seminary where she received a Master of Divinity.

In 2012 God called her to Texas. She attended First Baptist Church in Abilene and in two weeks she started working at their mission City Light Community Ministries. During her time at First Baptist, she was active in the prayer room. She was also active with the adult choir and was the teacher of the Celebration Sunday School Class. She was also blessed to be able to share her love for Jesus and what he had done in her life with those that attended church on Sunday morning at City Light on several occasions.

One of the most exciting ways God used her was when He sent her to the Philippines to speak to pastor's wives. During that mission trip she said one of the exciting things was when she went to jail to speak to the inmates. This was a high light of her trip because at that time Vi of the inmates (125) accepted Jesus as their Savior. Barbara was the Shepherd for American Heritage Girls.

Barbara enjoyed cooking, knitting, reading, watching cooking shows and swimming.

Barbara was preceded in death by her husbands and parents. She is survived by her daughter (Naomi Gustafson (Jeffrey), grandchildren Stephanie and Zachery Gustafson, and her sister Georgia Roe.

Memorials can be made to First Baptist Church for City Light Community Ministries.