AVILA, Barbara Carrie

Kingman Daily Miner, Kingman, AZ - Published on July 23, 2014 - Barbara Carrie Avila (Crain) was born Oct. 9, 1951. She lived a full life, was loved sincerely by her family and cherished by her friends. As she has left our Earth, she will not leave our hearts. Barbara passed on July 18, 2014, in her home after an unexpected issue attributed to a battle with cancer left her with a weakened immune system. Barbara is survived by her husband, Mike Avila Sr. of Golden Valley; daughter Michelle Derby (Avila) of San Diego and son Mike Avila Jr. of Atascadero, Calif. Barbara was the proud grandmother of four: Memphis, 4, and Wyatt, 6, and Tysen and Brendan, ages 14 and 15, respectively. She is also blessed and survived by a large family of siblings who were very close to her: Joe Crain Jr., Doug Crain, Tommy Crain and Betty Laboa, all of Hanford, Calif., as well as Albert Crain of Pittsburg, Pa. Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Joe Sr. and Cecil Crain, and her older sister, Georgia Carreiro, all from Lemoore, Calif. Barbara was raised and attended all school levels in Lemoore. Barbara was the youngest of seven children. Her twin sister, Betty, is two minutes older, which Barbara was always happy to point out, and Betty always responded with, "But I'm the pretty one." For those who don't know, Barbara and Betty are identical twins. As twins and sisters they were especially close, spending many hours talking and emailing every week. The two remained incredibly close until her passing. Ten years ago, Mike and Barbara moved to the desert of Arizona after leaving Arroyo Grande, Calif. Although many miles from their native home, Mike and Barbara had many and frequent visitors whom they enjoyed showing the sites to in the local area. They would enjoy taking visitors to Lake Mohave, Laughlin and Oatman, where you can feed wild burros (the grandchildren especially liked this). Mike and Barbara would make several trips a year back to California to visit their friends and family. Barbara was a member of several local service organizations and clubs in Arizona, as well as a past president of the Red Hats Ladies Club. Barbara enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, camping with her family, hanging out with her friends, and country music. Barbara will be missed deeply by all who knew and loved her. A celebration of Barbara's life will be held from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, July 26, 2014, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Hanford. All who knew her are invited to attend. No donations will be taken by the family. If compelled to donate, please donate to hospice.