Mrs. Barbara U. Rowland, age 76, of the Burwell community, passed away Saturday evening, March 5, 2011. She was born September 5, 1934 in Carrollton the daughter of the late Abner and Willa Upchurch. She is survived by her dear husband of 58 years, Bobby Rowland. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Jo Wynn. Barbara and her husband, Bobby, raised Jo's two children, Suzanne and Joseph Benefield, after her death. She is survived by her other children; Alice and Ed Martin, Robert and Kathy Rowland, Willa Beth and Chris Smith. She is also survived by her brother and his wife, Tom and Patsy Upchurch. Her grandchildren are Suzanne and Joseph Benefield, Elizabeth and Katie Martin, Emily, Eric and Sarah Rowland, Victoria Brown and step-grandchildren Riley, Haley and Rachael Smith. Mrs. Barbara was a devoted wife, mother and "Baba" as her grandchildren called her. She was a full-time mother almost her entire life and cared for many people in the community. She loved children and had a special knack for understanding their needs and inspiring their curiosity. When she saw a need she filled it in the community, for instance, by starting a childcare center in Bowdon in the 70's called Noah's Ark. She also served as the Poll Officer for Burwell for many, many years. Barbara worked in the Tax Commissioners office in Carrollton and was a teaching assistant to Beverly McGinnis's first grade class at Carrollton Elementary for 10 years. The center of the Burwell community, Shiloh United Methodist Church, was a large part of her life. As a lifelong member of the church, she served on countless committees, taught Sunday School, was a Youth Leader and served as a Historian for the church. She made many, many other contributions to the church during her lifetime too numerous to name. More recently, her love of gardens, flowers and design showed in her involvement in creating the walking trail at Shiloh. Known affectionately by most people as Miss Barbara, she was a friend to everyone. As a creative person, Barbara used her talents in every aspect of her life. Her ability to look at any situation and design the perfect outcome was a special talent. Specifically, Barbara helped in set design for various high school plays, costume design and creation, and garden design to name a few. A talented painter, Barbara gave freely of her art work to charities and the people she loved. Her work can be found in many homes bringing joy to the owners. Her love of children blended with her love of art and one of her greatest gifts was her ability to instill in every child she came in contact with the joy and courage to create. She has touched the lives of many by giving them the confidence to try something new and trust their own sense of creativity. Funeral services will be held at Shiloh United Methodist Church on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 11am and visitation will be held at Almon Funeral Home on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 from 6-8p. In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to be made to the Shiloh United Methodist Church Building Fund, 1874 Burwell Road, Carrollton, GA 30117. Messages of condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.almonfuneralhome.com. Almon Funeral Home of Carrollton has charge of arrangements.