Barbara Jean (Oakley) Loftis

BARBARA JEAN OAKLEY LOFTIS, age 89, of 867 City Lake Road, Roxboro, NC passed away Tuesday afternoon, January 21, 2025 at her home. 

Mrs. Loftis was born June 23, 1935 in Person County, NC, daughter of the late John William Oakley, Sr. & Gracie Alma Clayton Oakley and was wife of 57 years to the late Henry Hoover Loftis, Sr.  She was retired from the Duke Emergency Department and was a member of North Fork Baptist Church.  She also farmed, was a beautician, homemaker, and mother.

Barbara enjoyed shopping, antiquing, cooking, crosswords, puzzles, keeping her grandchildren, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Sunday dinners. 

Surviving are three children, Henry H. Loftis, Jr. & wife, Starr, Wanda L. Jones & husband, Chuck, Rhonda L. Bowen & husband, Donnie, twelve grandchildren, W.L. Rice, Doyle Rice, Rob Slaughter, Andy Slaughter, Brandy Bradsher, Kelly Conner, Kaycee Tadlock, Rachel Jones, Andrew Jones, Bryan Day, Travis Vaughan, Tracey Atkins, twenty great-grandchildren, four great-great grandchildren, brother, Carl Oakley & wife, Lillian, sister-in-law, Marie Oakley, and a host of nieces & nephews.

In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Loftis is preceded in death by a daughter, Sharon Ann Loftis Rice, seven sisters, Willie O. Suitt, Margaret O. O’Briant, Christine Oakley, Lucille Eastwood Turner, Evon O. Duncan, Virginia O. Clayton, Sue O. Latta, four brothers, James Oakley, J.W. Oakley, Jr., Raymond Oakley, and Lex Samuel Oakley.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 24, 2025 at North Fork Baptist Church with Bryan Day and Daniel Conner, Sr. officiating. Interment will follow in the Virgilina Cemetery.  The family will receive friends and guests from 1:00 till 2:00 p.m. prior to the service at the church and other times at the home. 

Pallbearers will be Caleb Atkins, Daniel Conner, Jr., Andrew Jones, Andy Slaughter, Rob Slaughter, and Travis Vaughan.  Honorary pallbearers will be Daniel Conner, Sr., Bill Hardesty, Bob Hardesty, Bob Loftis, Cameron Murray, Johnny Oakley, and Adam Tadlock.

Flowers are acceptable or memorial contributions may be made to the North Fork Baptist Church WMU c/o C.W. Crowder, 1061 Virgie Cole Road, South Boston, VA 24592 or Person County Meals-on-Wheels, P.O. Box 764, Roxboro, NC 27573 or Virgilina Cemetery, P.O. Box 281, Virgilina, VA 24598.

Arrangements are by Strickland and Jones Memorial Funeral Services, 1810 Durham Road, Roxboro, NC 27573. Online condolences may be made at stricklandandjonesfs.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Barbara Jean (Oakley) Loftis, please visit our floral store.