Mary Ellen Barbazon

Mary Ellen Blackwell Barbazon passed away March 13, 2011 and will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her. Mary Ellen was a mother, grandmother, aunt, trusted friend and beloved co-worker. She was a woman who loved her friends, her career, her dogs, good southern cooking, the jitterbug, traveling and most of all her family.
Mary Ellen Blackwell was born in 1925, the youngest of five children, in Royston, GA, where her father once served as mayor. She worked for Southern Railway and studied at GSCW. In 1946, she married her husband of 55 years, Doug Barbazon. The young couple moved to Louisville, KY, where Doug joined her brother, Reed Blackwell, at Gordon Foods. While there, Mary Ellen worked in the administration offices at the University of Louisville. The couple moved to Decatur, GA, in 1954 where they had two children, Doug Barbazon, Jr. and Jim Barbazon. Mary Ellen was a long-time member of Oak Grove United Methodist Church. Mary Ellen worked at Law Engineering for 27 years. Her boss and longtime friend, Ted Fox, says that people always assumed she worked for him, however, he said it was the other way around. "Everybody throughout the company knew Mary Ellen," says Fox. "She set the tone for how to dress, how to act. She was first and foremost a Southern lady." In addition to her sons, Mary Ellen is survived by daughters-in-law Darby and Iwalani, and two grandchildren, Sloan of Atlanta, and Trey and his wife, Tessa, of Birmingham, AL, nieces and nephews. Visitation is scheduled for Monday, March 21, from 6:00-8:00 PM at A.S. Turner & Sons, 2773 N. Decatur Road, Decatur, GA. The funeral service will be held Tuesday, March 22 at 11:00 AM at the same location. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to: Royston Historic Depot, 14 Hartwell St, Royston, GA 30662.


Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033