Obituary of Barbara Patricia "Trisha" Corley

Barbara Patricia "Trisha" Corley passed away Saturday, July 16, 2022 at her home in Winter Haven, Florida after suffering for years from physical disabilities and Alzheimer's Disease.

Her daughters Terry and Chris and her husband Dave were at her side.  She was 80 years old. 

Trisha was born in Columbus, Georgia on April 17, 1942.  Her parents were J.T. and Lois Louise Conley.  She had sisters Kay, Sherry, and Debbie and a brother, James. She grew up in Albany, Georgia and attended Albany High School. She loved cosmetology so she attended beauty school. She became a hairdresser and had her own shop for a time, Joseph's Hair Styling. She married Frank Gribbin July 24, 1965 and had two daughters, Theresa (Terry) and Christina (Chris). She was a devoted and loving mother who put her children above all else. She cherished taking her girls to school, after school activities, dance class, gymnastics, swimming, the zoo, parks, and loved to throw a birthday party.  She was an excellent cook and baker and is well known for her famous upside down pineapple pound cake.  She allowed pets of all kinds in the home including several dogs, hamsters, gerbils, fish, a cat, and one guinea pig but she always said "Don't bring home a snake!" She was the "neighborhood mom"  and was known to throw all the neighborhood kids in the car and take everyone on a day trip to Crystal Lake with a big platter of fried fish or fried chicken that she had made. Terry and Chris had several friends over the years that referred to her as "Mom" and she was loved by everyone who met her. She moved to Winter Haven, Florida in 1988 to be near her parents.  She started and ran the city's premier lawn care service, Jenkins Lawn Care. She loved to work hard and had a great attention to detail. She loved to put a bid on a job and earn new business.  She ran a tight ship and her employees knew it. They respected her for it and enjoyed working for her. She was loved by her clients who always looked forward to her homemade banana bread at Christmastime and they were sad when they learned she was retiring in 1999. She married David "Dave" Corley July 2, 1994. They enjoyed life together, loved spending time with family and friends, running the Lawn Service together, cooking out on the grill and in the smoker, growing vegetables in the garden, and even had two pigeons named Kenny and Lady. Dave cared for Trisha in their home after her diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease with admirable strength and courage. Trisha gave him a plaque that read "Here Lives a Fisherman with his Finest Catch" and he proudly displays it to this day.

Trisha is survived by her husband, David (Dave) Corley; children Theresa (Terry) Gribbin and Christina (Chris) Gribbin; sisters Kay Kolb, Debbie Jarrell, and brother James Conley; nieces Lynn Lee Epolito, Cinnamon Yvette Gray, Raven Jarrell Tarr (Scott), and Stormi Macchione; as well as great nieces and a great nephew. 

She was preceded in death by her parents J.T. Conley and Lois Louise Conley; her grandparents, sister Sherry Kuhn, brother in law Jim Kolb, as well as aunts and uncles.

At Trisha's request, there will be no formal service or memorial as she preferred to be remembered by each person for the memories they had together. The family wishes to thank the wonderful and caring staff at Compassionate Care Hospice. A memorial donation can be made to The Alzheimer's Association or Compassionate Care Hospice in Lakeland at 2525 Drane Field Rd., Suite 4, Lakeland, Fl 33811.