Barbara Wilkerson Callahan, 65, artist and homemaker, of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, died at her home on Sunday, February 21, 2016 after a year of declining health. Born March 11, 1950, in Burlington, North Carolina, Barbara was the only daughter of Felix Patton Wilkerson and Beadie Mae Wilson Wilkerson. Barbara graduated from Western Alamance High School in 1968 and attended Campbell College and the Technical Institute of Alamance in Burlington. In 1970, she married her best friend and true love, Michael "Mike" Albert Callahan in Burlington, North Carolina. They relocated to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, where they gave birth to two daughters. They eventually settled in Danville, Virginia for 37 years and were active members of Mount Olivet Methodist Church. In 2012, they moved to Royal Palm Beach, Florida. They are members of the Horizon Baptist Church. Barbara was a gifted artist working in multiple mediums—photography, sketching, pen and ink, and oils. She was a talented calligrapher and enjoyed a variety of handicrafts—crocheting, needlepoint, quilting, and sewing. Barbara was an avid lover of the arts, music, and the theatre. Always eager to help others, Barbara shared her talents with numerous organizations. A great supporter of education, Barbara contributed time and resources to local schools. She was a phone counselor for suicide prevention with the Contact Crisis Line and volunteered with DOVES, an organization dedicated to helping the victims of domestic violence. She spent countless hours with the Danville Chapter of the March of Dimes, earned the local chapter Volunteer of the Year award, and was admitted to the state chapter Volunteer Hall of fame. She made baby blankets and hats for various neo-natal intensive care units. A cancer survivor herself, Barbara also crocheted hats for cancer patients. She leaves behind her beloved husband Mike; her daughter Cynthia Callahan and Cynthia's partner Frank Skunicki of West Palm Beach, Florida; her daughter Chelsea Callahan Johnson, son-in-law Jason Johnson, and granddaughter Norah Mae Johnson of Lake Worth, Florida; and her dog Gracie. She is further survived by aunts, uncles, cousins, and many friends. Her memorial service will be held Saturday, March 12 at 11:00am (with family visitation beginning at 10:00am) at Horizon Baptist Church, 12965 Orange Boulevard, West Palm Beach. A second memorial service will take place at Mount Olivet Methodist Church, 229 Mt. Olivet Lane, Danville, Virginia planned for this summer.
