Barbara Tinsley

Barbara Vaughn Tinsley passed away on May 6, 2020 while with her family, after a ten year battle with frontotemporal degeneration. She was 69-years-old. Barbara was born August 30, 1950, in Bowden, GA. Growing up in Newnan, she only brought home A+ report cards and her brilliance led her to Emory School of Law, graduating with the prestigious Order of the Coif. Barbara served as an Assistant US Attorney before becoming a corporate attorney for Georgia Pacific, Home Depot, and BlueLinx, where she served as General Counsel. “Your mom was the most brilliant person I ever knew” is one refrain heard most by her daughters. Not only whip-smart, Barbara had an extremely giving heart and positive outlook on life. Her laugh was infectious and a hallmark of her vibrant personality. In her 20’s, she co-founded the Douglasville Humane Society, finding families for homeless pets. After her mother’s retirement, Barbara sent her monthly checks to cover extra expenses and took her on trips near and far. She also gave her husband’s new leather gloves to a homeless man with purple fingers in below freezing temperatures in downtown Atlanta. If someone needed help, she would help them. Barbara’s love was greatest for her two daughters Tori and Jackie. She was the best mom ever. Period. She doted on her daughters, making sure they wanted for nothing and always felt loved beyond measure. They hope to be as good a mother to their own children as she was to them. Barbara’s love of her children was almost matched by her passion for her horses. She was an avid equestrian, spending nearly every weekend riding in the North Georgia mountains. Her energy and spirit for life were boundless and only dampened by the onset of dementia. Barbara is survived by her sisters Beverly Cavender and Vickie Johnson and their husbands Michael Cavender and Al Johnson; brother Scott Vaughn and his wife Mitchie Vaughn; daughters Jackie Kraft and Tori Tinsley and their husbands Michael Kraft and Matthew Warenzak; three grandsons Christian and Vaughn Kraft and Callan Warenzak, all whom loved her dearly and will never forget her unconditional love for them. A private “Celebration of Life” will be held at a later date. Instead of flowers, donations can be made to the Humane Society, Feeding America, and the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration.