Barbara June Cone

Barbara June was born to John A. MacKinnon and Beadie Pearl Seay MacKinnon on June 24, 1935 in Dallas, Texas. She grew up in Dallas and attended North Dallas Schools. When she was a Freshman in North Dallas High School, she met Jim Cone. They ended up in the same class when she was a sophomore and he was a Senior and a budding romance and a courtship began. Jim graduated in 1952 and went to North Texas State University. They were married after his graduation from NTSU in 1954. They were married on September 4, 1954 in the Royal Haven Baptist Church in Dallas.

Jim had signed up with the United States Air Force and the young couple moved to begin his Air Force Service at McDonnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas. A young son was born there James Cone Jr., and a funeral followed. Jim was then stationed in San Angelo and a daughter Vicki was born. They were then transferred to the SAC Command in Lincoln, Nebraska and another daughter Debbie was born there.

In 1961, Jim contracted polio and had to give up his dream of becoming an Air Force Pilot, having to take disability discharge. The couple then returned to Texas and settled back in North Dallas where they started, and a son Robert was born there. Jim worked for Texas Instruments as an accountant. They were all involved in the Royal Haven Baptist Church. As the children grew, they were involved in the usual Baptist activities, R.A.’s, G. A.’s, Sunday School, Church Choirs, VBS, Church Training, Camps, fellowships, and celebrations.

Because Jim and Barbara both loved sports, they were involved in the church softball league. Jim coached and Barbara, Vicki, and Debbie all played softball. They won all the time, because they won all the time, the other members of the church league asked them to resign from the league. The other churches said they were too competitive.

As Vicki and Debbie left home and went to college and work and married, Rob was a Junior when they moved to DeRidder, Louisiana. Jim had begun working for Boise Cascade in Dallas. Jim was offered a job again with Boise Cascade after they had sold off their Dallas operations. Rob finished school in Louisiana, they moved to Pasco, Washington, and then to Boise, Idaho, and then to Reno, Nevada. They were always involved in churches and ministries wherever they moved, and they made friends.

When they were in Boise, Idaho, Barbara began being knowledgeable of antiques, particularly antique glassware. She bought a great many pieces in the west and began selling some of them. When they moved back to Texas from Reno, they worked on the Antiques together. They moved to Clifton where Jim could help be present to help care for his mother who had entered the Lutheran Sunset Home. They operated American Nostalgia Antiques, and did antique shows in Tyler, McAllen, and other Texas towns. They enjoyed an annual trip to Round Top to find new antiques for their booths. They had a long-time booth at Baird, Texas and Barbara still has a booth handling mostly antique glassware at the Bosque Emporium.

In Clifton, they became members of First Baptist Church of Clifton. Barbara was involved in helping direct the young marrieds department with Jim and Joann and Abbie Abercrombie. They were involved in all kinds of ministries and committee work in the Church. Barbara worked in the missions of the church and was involved in the WMU eventually leading the WMU in our Church and in our Bosque Baptist Association. She went on mission trips to Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and supported mission causes from orphanages, church starts, food distributions, and clothes distributions.

Barbara will be remembered for her devotion to the Lord, to Jim, her family, and the churches she has served. She was joyous and had weathered a number of trials because of her deep faith. She is a role model for putting faith into action. She and Jim developed a host of friends that they dined with frequently, played table games, and traveled together on trips.

She sought to be involved in her grandchildren’s lives and attended many school events and could be heard on the sidelines and in the stands cheering. When she wasn’t at their games and events, she and Jim could be found supporting the Clifton youth in all kinds of school events. She still loved softball and recently watched the College World Series softball on TV. She longed to get her glove and ball and join them.

She passed away at her home on June 3, 2025 after a battle with cancer, just shy of her 90th. Birthday. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband James Cone, her son James, Cone Jr., and her daughter Vicki Crawley.

She is survived by her daughter Debbie Stokes, and her husband Kyle, and her son Robert (Rob) Cone and his wife Tina, She is also survived by granddaughter Kelsey Stokes and grandson Kevin Stokes. She is survived by grandson Nolan Cone and his wife Caroline, granddaughter Laney Brown and husband Andrew, and grandson Carson. Cone She is also survived by her sister-in-law Nancy Cone of Clifton.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, June 8, 2025 at First Baptist Church, Clifton. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will take place at 10:30 A.M. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at DFW National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Buckner’s orphanages to Guatemala and other Central American countries and the Lutheran Sunset Hospice of Clifton, Texas.

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