Barbara Gulley

Barbara Jane Gulley, age 75 of Goodlettsville, passed away December 13, 2020. She was preceded in death by her parents, Lowell and Laura Hayes. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Jack Gulley; their children Johanna (Brad) Turner, and John Gulley (Frances Nevil); grandchildren, John Gulley Jr., Jaycie Gulley, Jordan Turner and Brayden Turner; great-grandchild Kayden O'Connor. A visitation to celebrate her life will be at Cole & Garrett Funeral Home, White House on December 27, 2020 from 1pm to 4pm.
Barbara grew up in Jonesboro, AR where she went to business school. Through her friend June, she met her husband of 55 years, Jack Gulley. After they got married, they moved to Memphis, TN where she worked in banking. Soon after, they moved to Old Hickory, TN and eventually settled on 20 acres right outside of White House, 45 years ago. She and Jack raised their two kids in that home, and the kids both still live in the area.
Barbara was a retired school bus driver for Sumner County, where she drove for over 35 years. There are a lot of people in the community that adopted her as their second mom. She would see people she knew anytime she was out and about in White House. She never met a stranger so working part-time as a tour bus driver was a perfect retirement job for her, and she enjoyed telling stories of the characters she would meet while driving.
In her spare time, Barbara was very creative, she dabbled in ceramics, sewing, painting, and most recently stained glass. Most of her loved ones have at least one of her beautiful creations. Additionally, when she and Jack had a free weekend, they would make trips to the casino where she would stay awake half the night playing cards. She also spent time with Jack on the lake, supporting his passion for fishing. Even though she was not a fan of the heat (I can hear her now asking for the canopy to be put up on the boat), she loved spending time with the ones she loved.
Barbara also had a deep love of family, she would tell you how immensely proud she was of each of her children, grandchildren and great grandchild. She supported Jordan and Brayden's sports teams, even though she would sometimes get so into the game that she cheered for the opposing team. But they loved that she was in the stands, they knew her heart was in the right place, and she could always laugh at herself. She attended every awards event that she could for her grandkids, always beaming with pride. She was so proud of John Jr for becoming the father that he is and of Jaycie for excelling in college at UT Knoxville.
Always the one to give the perfect gift, Barbara also was a great friend. Those close to her would tell you once you became her friend, she was a lifelong friend. She had a great sense of humor and lit up any room that she walked in to. Always one to help a friend in need, she was a true servant who loved unconditionally.
"She loved life and it loved her right back" is an appropriate quote for Barbara. We will miss her energy and zest for life and life will look very different without her. She would want us to come together to support one another and celebrate the beautiful life she lived. She is in the arms of Jesus and is reunited with her mom and dad, whom she loved so very much!