Barbara Hancock Fain was born on November 18, 1924, to Eugene Mills Hancock and Ruth Chastain Hancock, the youngest of seven children. Growing up in Oklahoma City, she excelled at drama, her major at the University of Oklahoma. WWII interrupted college, and she served the United States Air Force as the secretary of the Chief Training Officer of the Oklahoma City Air Service Command.
During that time, she met and married the “love of her life” John Mills Fain, a decorated Air Force Colonel, to whom she was married for 62 years. They settled in Atlanta, Georgia, his hometown, and were blessed with one daughter, Jacqueline Fain Nims.
Her husband had a life changing transformation when he invited Christ into his life. Barbara realized that she did not love the Lord with all her heart and decided, “I would rather have you, Lord Jesus, than anything in the world.” “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13) inspired her to make Jesus known to others across the USA. She shared her gift of hospitality with many throughout her life and was a daily blessing to her family and many friends. She was a gifted Bible teacher and speaker, enriching all who heard her with her keen insights on the Bible and the Christian faith.
Among numerous civic and spiritual leadership positions were President, North Side Women’s Club; President, Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Atlanta; Chairman of the Council of Women, 1973 Billy Graham Crusade; Secretary, Board of Directors, Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention; and training developer, CRU Military Ministry, of which her husband was Founding Director.
For 25 years, she loved teaching the BLESSINGS CLASS at Peachtree Corners Baptist Church and later joined Dunwoody Baptist Church. She was a member of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, The Colonial Dames of America, First Families of Georgia, and Georgia Manakin Huguenot Society (Chaplain). Her biography appears in Helen Kooiman’s book Silhouettes: Women Behind Great Men.
Barbara will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
