A Saturday morning drive ended in tragedy for 56-year-old Barbara Rackley after her Jeep left State Highway 9, crossed back over the road and overturned after striking a guardrail post in Perry County, Arkansas.
Rackley, a resident of Bigelow, was driving a 2006 Jeep Laredo northbound near Perryville when the crash happened at approximately 6:12 a.m. on November 7, according to the Arkansas State Police.
The preliminary investigation found that the Jeep first veered off the right side of the highway. It then returned to the roadway, crossed the center line and left the highway again, entering a ditch.
The vehicle struck a guardrail post before overturning. Rackley sustained fatal injuries, and no other injuries were listed in the preliminary report. Authorities also recorded clear weather and dry road conditions when the accident occurred.
Despite the sequence of events described in the report, investigators have not disclosed what caused the vehicle to leave the highway in the first place. Trooper First Class Zoey L. Knuckels is handling the investigation for the Arkansas State Police. Rackley’s body was placed in the custody of the Perry County coroner, and her next of kin were notified.
But while the crash report documents how the accident happened, it offers only a small part of the story of the woman who died. Rackley was more than a 56-year-old driver involved in a fatal highway accident. To her family, she was Barbara Jean, affectionately called Barbie and Birdie.
Her family described her as a devoted mother and grandmother whose greatest happiness came from being around her loved ones. She spent much of her life raising her boys, caring for her family and enjoying time with her nine grandchildren. They knew her by the special name Birdie, a name that carried years of affection and family memories.
Rackley was also remembered for her independent nature. She liked handling things herself and did not want to become a burden to anyone. Her obituary describes a strong-willed woman who was always willing to help those she cared about. Her two beloved dogs, Kookie and Mister Frodo, were also among the things she held dear.
She was preceded in death by her life partner, Gregory Pearrow; her father, Robert C. Rackley; and her children, Brian Keith and Adam Cody. Those left to mourn her include her mother, Alice Faye Rackley; her children, David Smith, Justin Smith and Josh Pearrow; her grandchildren, Cannon, Kaiden, Gracie, Jayden, Sophia, Brantley, Phoenix, Jewel and Atreus; and her siblings, extended relatives and friends.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date, with arrangements handled by Harris Funeral Home of Morrilton. For her family, the loss is not simply about the sudden end of a journey on Highway 9. It is about losing Barbie, the mother and grandmother whose place in their lives cannot be replaced.
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