barbara louise hardy cannon
1958-1994
Life Story
Early Life and Family Foundations
Barbara Louise Hardy was born on December 15, 1958, in Newton County, Mississippi, to Clifton Hardy Sr. and Annie Lee Evans Hardy. She spent her earliest years in the close-knit community of Newton, where family, church, and community relationships formed the foundation of daily life.
Barbara’s childhood was marked by profound loss. Her mother, Annie Lee Evans Hardy, passed away in 1964 when Barbara was only five years old. The following year, her father, Clifton Hardy Sr., also died, leaving Barbara and her siblings orphaned at a very young age. Although surviving records do not clearly identify who assumed responsibility for raising the children after their parents’ deaths, Barbara and her brothers and sisters remained connected through strong family ties and the support of their extended family network.
She grew up alongside her siblings Annie, Mary, Willie, Clifton Jr., Alice, Nancy, and Ginger. The challenges they faced during childhood undoubtedly strengthened the bonds they shared throughout their lives.
Despite the hardships she endured, Barbara was raised in a community that emphasized perseverance, faith, and mutual support. These values would remain with her throughout her life.
Community Life and Youth Development
As a young girl, Barbara attended Whitestone Missionary Baptist Church in Newton, where she developed the spiritual foundation that would guide her throughout adulthood.
She also actively participated in community youth activities. One particularly memorable experience came through a nutrition and home economics program sponsored by the Newton County Cooperative Extension Service. Held at the home of Mrs. Roosevelt Walker and led by 4-H teen leader Earlean Logan, the program brought together local youth to learn practical life skills, including nutrition, meal preparation, food science, and proper table etiquette.
Barbara participated alongside several of her siblings and neighborhood friends. The program reflected the commitment of Newton County’s churches, educators, and community leaders to preparing young people for successful adult lives.
These experiences fostered values of responsibility, cooperation, and service that remained evident throughout Barbara’s life.
A New Beginning on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
In 1972, at the age of thirteen, Barbara left Newton County and relocated to Gulfport, Mississippi. Because both of her parents had passed away years earlier, the move appears to have been part of a broader family transition involving siblings and extended family members who sought opportunities and stability on the Gulf Coast.
The move marked a significant turning point. Barbara exchanged the rural landscape of Newton County for the growing coastal city of Gulfport, where she attended East Junior High School and began building a new life.
Although her surroundings changed, her faith remained constant. Soon after arriving in Gulfport, Barbara joined Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church. The congregation became her spiritual home, and she remained a faithful member throughout the remainder of her life.
Marriage and Motherhood
As she entered adulthood, Barbara established a family of her own.
In July 1976, she married and took the surname Stribling. From this union came three children who became the center of her life:
- Nakel L. Stribling
- James A. Stribling
- Christopher D. Stribling
Barbara devoted herself to raising her children and creating a loving home for her family. Through the 1980s and early 1990s, she lived in Gulfport, residing first at the Village Apartments on 58th Avenue and later at a family home on West Angela Circle.
Friends and relatives remembered her as a devoted mother who worked hard to provide for her children while maintaining close relationships with her siblings and extended family.
A Second Marriage and Continued Faith
In the early 1990s, Barbara found love again when she married Clarence Cannon Jr.
Following their marriage, she officially changed her name to Barbara Louise Cannon in March 1993. Through this marriage, she also became stepmother to Christopher Cannon of Bay St. Louis.
Throughout this period, Barbara remained deeply committed to her church and family. Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church continued to play a central role in her life, providing spiritual guidance, fellowship, and support.
Those who knew Barbara often remembered her for her kindness, her devotion to her children, and the strength she displayed despite the many challenges she had faced since childhood.
Final Days and Passing
Barbara’s life was tragically cut short.
On October 10, 1994, she passed away at a medical facility in Mobile, Alabama, at the age of thirty-five.
Her death brought sorrow to family members and friends across both the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Newton County, where many still remembered her from her childhood years.
A visitation was held at Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church in Gulfport on October 13, 1994. The church that had nurtured her faith for more than two decades became the gathering place where family and friends came together to celebrate her life and mourn her passing.
Funeral services followed, and Barbara was laid to rest at Pine Ridge Cemetery in Gulfport, Mississippi. Arrangements were entrusted to Dickey Bros.-Chamber Bros. Funeral Services of Biloxi.
Legacy and Remembrance
Though her life lasted only thirty-five years, Barbara Louise Hardy Cannon left a lasting impact on those who knew and loved her.
She experienced profound loss as a child, losing both parents before reaching school age, yet she persevered through the support of family, faith, and community. She successfully built a life for herself on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, raised three children, maintained close family relationships, and remained committed to her church throughout her life.
Barbara’s story is one of resilience. From the rural communities of Newton County to the neighborhoods of Gulfport, she carried forward the values of faith, family, and determination that had been instilled in her from childhood.
Today, she is remembered as a devoted mother, loving sister, faithful church member, and cherished member of the Hardy family whose life touched many people despite its brevity. Her legacy lives on through her children, her extended family, and all who continue to remember her with love.
Resting Place
Pine Ridge Cemetery, Gulfport, Mississippi
Photos/Albums
Sources
- Mississippi birth records and family records identify Barbara Louise Hardy as having been born on December 15, 1958, in Newton County, Mississippi, to Clifton Hardy Sr. and Annie Lee Evans Hardy.
- Mississippi death records document the death of Annie Lee Evans Hardy in 1964.
- Mississippi death records document the death of Clifton Hardy Sr. in 1965.
- Family records and census evidence identify Barbara’s siblings as Annie Curry, Mary Moore, Willie James Hardy, Clifton Hardy Jr., Alice Hardy, Nancy Zander, and Ginger Bickham.
- Due to the deaths of both parents during Barbara’s childhood, surviving records do not clearly identify the individual or individuals who assumed primary responsibility for raising the Hardy children after 1965.
- Whitestone Missionary Baptist Church, Newton County, Mississippi; church membership and family records document Barbara’s early religious upbringing within the congregation.
- “Nutrition Program Held for Newton County Youth,” Newton County Cooperative Extension Service youth activities report; documenting Barbara Hardy’s participation in a nutrition and home economics program led by Earlean Logan at the home of Mrs. Roosevelt Walker.
- Extension Service records identify participants in the youth nutrition program and describe instruction in meal preparation, nutrition, food groups, and table-setting etiquette.
- Gulfport School District records and family records indicate that Barbara relocated to Gulfport, Mississippi, in 1972 and attended East Junior High School.
- Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church, Gulfport, Mississippi; church records and obituary information document Barbara’s membership and long-term involvement with the congregation.
- Harrison County, Mississippi, marriage records document Barbara’s marriage in July 1976 and her use of the surname Stribling.
- Family records identify Barbara’s children as Nakel L. Stribling, James A. Stribling, and Christopher D. Stribling.
- Gulfport city directories, voter registration records, and public records document Barbara’s residence at Village Apartments on 58th Avenue and later at 2611 West Angela Circle in Gulfport, Mississippi.
- Harrison County, Mississippi, marriage records document Barbara’s marriage to Clarence Cannon Jr. and her legal name change to Barbara Louise Cannon in March 1993. Family records identify Christopher Cannon of Bay St. Louis as Barbara’s stepson through her marriage to Clarence Cannon Jr.
- Mississippi death records and obituary notices document Barbara Louise Cannon’s death on October 10, 1994, at a medical facility in Mobile, Alabama, at the age of thirty-five.
- Sun Herald (Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi), obituary for Barbara Louise Cannon, October 1994; documenting surviving family members, visitation arrangements, and funeral services.
- Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church, Gulfport, Mississippi; obituary and funeral records documenting visitation services held at the church on October 13, 1994.
- Dickey Bros.-Chamber Bros. Funeral Services, Biloxi, Mississippi; funeral records documenting arrangements for Barbara Louise Cannon.
- Pine Ridge Cemetery, Gulfport, Harrison County, Mississippi; burial records documenting the interment of Barbara Louise Cannon following funeral services.
- Family records, church records, obituary notices, public records, and community histories collectively document Barbara Louise Hardy Cannon’s life, family relationships, church membership, migration from Newton County to Gulfport, and legacy within both communities.
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