TUPELO – Barbara Anne Bratton Hackett, 79, transformed from this life to the next on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 from her residence after a gallant battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Known to many, especially the grands, as “B,” Barbara was born in Tupelo on Aug. 6, 1940 to the late Norman Frances Bratton and Alice Oleda Morgan Bratton. She and her family were a U.S. Navy military family. She lived in many locations in the country but always considered Tupelo her home. Earning her BA in Education from Millsaps College in Jackson, Barbara began a career as a Public School Educator. Her first school was at Belden where she stayed on a year because she could not get the administration to improve and replace the “ratty” textbooks. Her standards were high, her devotion to teaching uncompromised, and her interest in the students she taught never ended. A self-learner and avid reader, she furthered her formal education receiving her MA in English from Mississippi State University. After more than 30 years with the Tupelo Public School System, having taught primarily English in grades ranging from 4 th grade to College Prep at Lawhon, Carver, Tupelo High, and the Fillmore Center, Barbara retired. She continued to privately mentor and was a tutor at the Learning Skills Center and enjoyed reminiscing with former students and keeping abreast of their success. Among her credits was being one of the originators of the Fast Track curriculum in Tupelo public Schools. She was also a national board certified teacher. She loved cooking and for many years had her own catering business. Barbara was a nature lover and lived much of her adult life on the hilly bluff overlooking Coonewah Bottom in West Tupelo. She developed an appreciation for Native American Indian lore and loved traveling and studying the history of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Barbara was well traveled and especially loved Florida, the ocean, and the many beaches there. She developed a love for Oriental culture and clothing and growing plants. Barbara grew up in St. Mark’s Methodist Church in East Tupelo, but frequently attended First Presbyterian Church. Barbara gave many students a strong foundation through her teaching and encouragement of learning and will be missed.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 at the Tupelo Chapel of Holland Funeral Directors with a viewing at 11 AM and reflections from 12 PM to 1 PM.
Barbara is survived by her two children, Charlie “Jack” Hackett of Houston, TX, and Helen Hackett Watts of Tupelo, and their father, Charles Hackett, Sr. of Vero Beach, FL; her sisters, Norma Bratton Brown of Tupelo, and Rosemary Bratton of Laramie, WY; 3 grandchildren, Anna Watts, Daniel Hackett, and Morgan Chaney; her niece and nephew, Kim Brown of Nettleton and John Sheffield (Shannen) of Mooreville, and their children, Jacob, Ethan, Aiden and Mattie Kate; her beloved caregiver and adopted sister, Joann Seger of Tupelo; and hundreds of grateful students across the country.
Memorials may be made to Lee County Library, 219 N Madison St, Tupelo, MS 38804, or the Association for Excellence in Education, C/O CREATE Foundation, P. O. Box 1053, Tupelo, MS 38802-1053. Condolences may be emailed to hollandfuneraldirectors@comcast.net.
