Barbara Akpan

Barbara Akpan, 68, of Amarillo, passed into the arms of Jesus on Sunday, June 4, 2023, in Amarillo. Funeral services will be 10:00 AM Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Trinity Fellowship Church in the West Auditorium, located at 5000 Hollywood Rd. with Pastor Greg Woods and Pastor Kyle Wilkinson officiating. Burial Services will be 2:00 PM Sunday at Nevels Memorial Cemetery in Tahoka, Texas. Arrangements are under the direction of Cox-Rowley Funeral Home.

Barbara was born on June 25, 1954, in Houston to her parents, Harrison Sampey and Cleo Anthony Mae Bryson. She attended Tahoka High School and graduated in 1974. Barbara became a Registered Nurse and built her life around serving others and helping those in pain. She worked as a Registered Nurse in Canyon at Palo Duro Hospital for twenty years as well as Baptist Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Amarillo for an additional twenty years. Barbara was a world traveler who loved to visit international destinations such as Italy and the Caribbean. In her free time, she enjoyed the cinema, finding quality dining spots, and spending time with her family and friends.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, C.F. and Cleo Anthony Mae Bryson; Harrison Sampey; her beloved husband, Benjamin Eyo Akpan; three sisters, Charlene Menefee, Winnie Pearl Davis, and Betty Williams; and two brothers, Donnie Bryson and Lee Bryson.

Survivors include her daughter, Erika Akpan of Austin; four sisters, Beverly Lewis and husband Craig, Stina Hunt and husband Todd, all of Amarillo, Pearlie Mae Bryson of Mount Pleasant, Martha Williams and husband Lee of Aurora, Colorado; two brothers, Tracy Bryson of Greenville and Charles Bryson and wife Mildred of Amarillo; four nieces, Shari, Felicia, Mersades, and Tia; four nephews, Brandon, Marquis, Toderick, and Kendrick; her close childhood friend and classmate, Ollie (JoJo) Lawson, and her beloved cat, Sassy. Survivors also include a host of extended family members, close friends, and her loving nursing family.