Kristin Barker Herbison

Kristin Barker Herbison, age 60, of Flowood, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

Kristy was born on March 10, 1964, in Gadsden, Alabama, to Charles Paron Barker, Jr. and Ellen Hall Barker.   She attended Whitten Jr. High, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the band, and then Wingfield High School, graduating in 1982.  In high school, Kristy was a member of the Genteels drill team.   Kristy attended Hinds Jr. College and, after working for a while, finished her education at Mississippi College, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

During her high school years, Kristy was a member of Alta Woods Baptist Church and later First Baptist Church Jackson, where she was involved in the college ministry and the FBCJ choir.

Kristy met the love of her life, Stephan Herbison, when he was working in her office on a project at MP&L in the mid to late 1980s.   Although her senior class voted her “Most Eligible Bachelorette,” Stephan proved them wrong and married her August 5, 1995. Stephan and Kristy enjoyed the first few years of marriage traveling and moving to Pensacola for a short time but eventually settling down in the Laurel Wood subdivision in Flowood, Mississippi. On February 23, 2004, the Lord blessed Stephan and Kristy with a beautiful baby boy, Ryan Herbison, and then began the most important calling of Kristy's life, being Ryan's mom. Wherever Ryan was, that's where Kristy wanted to be, whether it was being a room mother in his elementary school or being in the bleachers for literally hundreds of games watching him play baseball. That little boy has grown up to be an amazing young man, and the pride and love Kristy felt for Ryan was so evident whenever she talked about him. He was truly the center of her universe!

Kristy was blessed to work with some incredible employers in her lifetime. MP&L was where she started her career as Facilities Coordinator in their downtown Jackson office. While living in Pensacola, Kristy worked for Monsanto. After Stephan and Kristy moved back to Flowood, Kristy went to work for her beloved boss, Fred Free, as Sr. Administrative Assistant at Chartwells Dining Service, Inc. Once Ryan was born, Kristy wanted to work part-time so that she could be with Ryan as much as possible, so she went to work for her long-time dear friend, Sonya Sebren Summerlin, at Sand Hill Behavioral Health as a community outreach coordinator. She was so grateful for the freedom Sonya gave her in this job to be a part of school activities for Ryan. A few years later Kristy would begin work as the Education Administrator in the Psychology Resident Program at UMMC. She worked there for almost ten years until her ALS illness forced her to take disability retirement in the summer of 2023.

Kristy was preceded in death by her father, Charles Paron Barker, Jr., and her mother, Ellen Hall Barker.   She is survived by her husband, Stephan Herbison; her son, Ryan Herbison; her sisters, Teri Barker Norton and Allyson Barker Petrone (Joe-Joe), nieces and nephews Katye Norton, Casey Norton (Dayna), Kellie Norton, Chas Petrone (Monica) and Michael Petrone (Katie), grand nieces and nephews Deacon Secrist, Charli Kate Secrist, Roman Secrist, Kennedy Norton, Emmett Norton, Collins Norton, Everett Petrone and Anna Jo Petrone.  The Herbisons are members of Pinelake Church, Brandon campus.

A visitation for Kristy Herbison will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at Ott & Lee, 1360 W. Government St., (Hwy. 80), Brandon, Mississippi, at 12:00 p.m until 1:30 p.m., with a service following at 1:30 p.m.. Kristy's family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the ALS Association to help find a cure for this devastating disease.