Barbara J. Banks

Barbara Jean Banks was born on July 5, 1944, in Detroit, MI to the late Essie Mae Weaver and John Arnold Cummings, and blessed with parents Willie Marion & William Hayes Bell.

Barbara graduated from Detroit’s Eastern High School. She went on to study at Wayne State University. She enjoyed a long career at Ford Motor Company where she eventually retired from.

Barbara met the love of her life, Clifford Banks, Sr., in 1962. They entered into holy matrimony on January 23, 1965. Two children were born to this union, Kimberley Ann & Clifford Jr.

Barbara Jean (“Babe Barb”) was the namesake of the late Barbara Jean Hale (Aunt). The two sisters, Essie & Barbara, agreed to name their 1st-born daughters after one another but Aunt Barbara reneged and named her 1st born daughter Stacey Jeanette instead. Stacey would have been honored to have had Essie’s name.

Babe Barb accepted Christ in her life at an early age. She continued to serve the Lord and was baptized a second time at Christian Missionary Baptist Church where she was very active at the soup kitchen on Tuesdays & Thursdays. She would faithfully volunteer to prepare and serve the food and more. She loved to cook and was very good at it.

Babe Barb was passionate about everything she touched in life including keeping things clean. Yes, she was what we called a “clean freak.” Sometimes the cousins would purposely put a piece of paper down and make bets on how fast she would come to pick it up. We laugh about that to this day.

As the neighborhood changed over the years, Barbara & Cliff chose to embrace and nurture the change as she would have the street blocked off, cook, and feed the children all on her own dime. What a blessing she was. She loved cats and every cat in the neighborhood knew it. She would only allow a total of 3 to live in the house, however, generations lived outside the house year-round and she named and took care of each and every one of them.

She loved to travel and luxury cruises were her favorite. It’s just another way she connected to the world in which she made many friends including well-known violinist Damien Escobar and countless others.

Barbara was a 10-year breast cancer survivor and passed her strength and passion along to others on beating the “Big C.” She always participated in the fight for a cure on numerous occasions at Detroit Public High School’s “Walk for the Cure” in downtown Detroit and more. On April 28, 2020, our brave Babe Barb lost her battle with the other “C” - COVID-19.

She was preceded in death by her daughter Kimberley Ann, two sisters Beverly and Carol Lee, and brother John Arnold.

Barbara leaves to cherish her memory her devoted husband Clifford Sr., loving son Clifford, Jr.(Skeet), two adoring granddaughters, Quilesha Marion and Danielle Shante Banks; eight great-grandchildren; sister Leslie Cummings Bates, first cousins Joi Lorraine, Stacey Jeanette, Brigitte Amere (The Nelsons), a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, the Christland Missionary Baptist Church family, many loving friends, and her loyal cats Poopsie, Muffin, Lucky, along with their outdoors cousins.