Barbara Ellen Gould

With love, all things are possible.

Love carried Barbara throughout the journey of her life, taking her from Mississippi to Texas, from high school sweetheart to wife and mother, and ultimately to the role she perhaps cherished more than any other, Grandma. 

The poet Kahlil Gibran said: And think not that you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Barbara grew up in a little house with no running water in Laurel, Mississippi with her parents, John and Ellen Chandler. Could that little girl envision the course love would set for her? 

She met the love of her life, Alvin Gould, in high school. She told people she knew she was going to marry him from the moment she met him. Did that lovestruck teenager have any premonition that she would build a life with him, sharing 54 years of marriage, until death did them part?

She married Al right out of high school. When she said, “I do,” could she see in his eyes some glimmer of the children, David and Theresa, who would bring her such love and joy? Or even the grandchildren, Tristan and Genevieve, whom she would adore (and spoil) more than anything?

Perhaps she did. With love, all things are possible.

Don’t imagine it was all wine and roses. Barbara was the solid, loving foundation upon which the family was built; she worked hard to turn houses into homes. There were lean times, when putting dinner on the table required a kind of domestic alchemy. There were long absences, when Al traveled for work, when Barbara had to mind the fort. This task was no doubt made easier by the fact that no matter how far his feet might wander, his heart never strayed far from her side. There were extended family members in need, including her own mother, Ellen, who Barbara cared for for many years.

Were these things difficult? Yes. But with love, all things are possible.

Barbara was a beautiful soul, kind and generous and caring. Her presence in our lives enriched them; her departure leaves an ache, but also an enduring legacy of love.

Condolences may be sent to: www.harrellfuneralhomes.com.