Barbara Honeycutt Shinn

Barbara Honeycutt Shinn, 84, of Concord, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis on February 16, 2024.

She was born on January 25, 1940, in Red Cross, NC, to the late Hubert Honeycutt and Eula Mae Honeycutt. She was a lifelong resident of Cabarrus County and a graduate of Hartsell High School, where she served as one of the “L” letter girls and was elected the 1958 Miss Merry Christmas.

On an afternoon trip to Georgeville with a friend, Barbara met Robert Shinn, and a chance meeting at Shinn’s Store was the beginning of a beautiful, 65-year marriage. They were married on July 5, 1958. Barbara was an incredibly talented seamstress and made dresses for all of her bridesmaids, as well as her own tea-length gown, covered in hundreds of hand-sewn seed pearls.

Barbara worked in the offices of the Collins & Aikman Mill, at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital in the billing department, and opened and ran her own Diet Center franchise in Monroe. She also managed the office for the family business, R.F. Shinn Contractor, and worked as a legal assistant to Attorney Phillip Carroll for many years. She retired for a few years but came back to work in 2005 to work as a secretary at Southern Concrete Materials. During her 15 years there, she could always be counted upon to have cake in the kitchen, a giant bowl of candy by her desk, and a word of encouragement or prayer for anyone who walked in the door.

Barbara loved to care for other people in big and small ways. She knew the value of expressing love for others and always wrote the birthdays of friends far and near on her calendar. She would pick out a special card just for them and take the time to write a personal note in her always-perfect handwriting.

One of the things Barbara loved to do most was to bake, and in a way, her cakes were her own personal ministry. Coconut cake, strawberry cake, and pound cakes were her most requested, and they were requested often, by many. She baked them for Christmas, birthdays, funerals, Sunday lunches, or just because someone asked her for one.

Giving was important to her, and she spent many years as an active member of the Concord Civitan Club, raising money for the ARC and volunteering her time. Barbara was bright, warm, and caring with every person she met, and on many occasions, people she barely knew would share stories with her and ask for her advice. She was always happy to listen and give encouragement, and she never ended one of those conversations without sincerely telling the person that she would be praying for them.

Even near the end of her life, her inner and outer beauty was impossible to miss. Despite being in ill health, she never complained, and she genuinely and frequently thanked each nurse, housekeeper, and nursing assistant who helped to care for her.

Barbara’s family was always her first priority, and she was so loved by all those who had the privilege to call her “Nana.” She was always there to read books, push strollers, rock a fussy baby, color, play trucks, or even wear a pirate hat or a collection of stickers on her face – whatever the occasion required.

Barbara is survived by her loving husband, Robert Shinn; daughter Angela Morrison and her husband, Gary; granddaughter, Meredith Barbee, and her husband, Phillip; and her great-grandchildren, Ira, Frances, Asa, and Judd Barbee; and her brother, Michael Honeycutt, and his wife, Kay. She is preceded in death by her sister, Shelby Mauney and husband Terry.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Forest Hill United Methodist Church at 265 Union St. N. in Concord. A service to celebrate Barbara’s life will be held immediately after at 2:00 pm at Forest Hill United Methodist Church, officiated by the Reverend Mandy Jones and Reverend Wes Judy, with a burial service to follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Concord.