Edith Jewel Barger

Edith Jewel Barger, known to everyone who loved her as Jewel, 81, of Hazard, Kentucky, passed away peacefully on October 1, 2026, at the Greg and Noreen Wells Hospice Center. Born January 18, 1945, in Hazard, Kentucky, Jewel was the daughter of the late Silas and Edith Miller. She was a woman who loved deeply, gave freely, fought fiercely, and left an impression on nearly everyone fortunate enough to know her. She was preceded in death by her husband Boyd Gene Barger, parents, Silas and Edith Miller; brothers Paul Miller, Lonnie Miller, and Eddie Miller; and sisters Clarissa Godsey and Lori Mae Quire.

She is survived by her brothers David Miller, Martie Miller, Alvin Miller, and Silas Miller Jr.; sisters Ethel McIntosh, Rosa Mattingly, and Betty Thompson; She is also survived by her only child, her daughter Clarisa “Reece” Barger-Combs; her loving son-in-law, David Combs; three grandchildren who were the loves of her life, Gena Danielle Combs, Jordan David Jaxon Combs, and Cameron Lee Colwell; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, friends, and former students.

At the center of Jewel's world was her family. Reece was her only child and the person around whom so much of her life revolved. Jewel was fiercely protective of her daughter and would and did move mountains for her. David was a loving son-in-law who was always there when Jewel needed him, and she knew she could count on him. Her grandchildren were her life. Jewel was only 40 when Gena was born, and she and Gene had always wished they could have had a houseful of children. When their grandchildren came along, they poured all that love into them. Gena, Jordan, and Cameron grew up knowing that Jewel and Gene's home was another home of their own and that their grandparents were another set of parents who would love and protect them. They were never simply grandchildren to Jewel. They were her children, her heart, and she would have given anything for them. Jewel was married to Boyd Gene Barger, known as Gene. Jewel and Gene were full of life. They loved the races, movies, traveling, and especially anything that promised a little adventure. They were young at heart, and nowhere was that more obvious than at Christmas. They loved giving so much more than receiving, and every year they spent far more on the grandchildren than they probably should have. The

presents under the tree could take over half the living room. For many years, Jewel worked as a cook at Lost Creek Elementary School. She remembered the children who didn't have enough to eat and quietly made sure they received extra when she could. Years later, grown former students would stop her to thank her for feeding them. Family members also remembered her making sure children received Christmas presents, sometimes when their own families couldn't provide them. Helping people was simply part of who Jewel was. Jewel had an adventurous spirit that never seemed to match her tiny frame. She loved amusement parks, Disney World, Kings Island, and the biggest, scariest rides she could find. She even went bungee jumping. As a teenager, Hollywood talent scout Lee Rich approached her and asked her to come to Hollywood for a screen test. Her father wouldn't let her go, leaving that as one of the unwritten chapters of her life. Music was another part of Jewel from childhood. She and her sister Rosa often sang on the radio with local singer George Davis, the Singing Miner. She never lost her love of singing. Even in her later years,she would sing the entire way to somewhere and the entire way home. Two days before she died, her family encouraged her to sing in the hospital because they knew it would bring her comfort. She did. She loved to cross-stitch and read, especially Stephen King novels. Alvin made sure she had each new one, and Jewel passed her love of reading on to Gena. Her family was also blessed by those who cared for Jewel so faithfully. Her sister Betty Thompson regularly traveled two to three hours to bring her food, even while dealing with serious health problems of her own. Jewel loved Betty's casseroles, whether she could eat much of them or not, but what she really loved was seeing Betty bringing them. And then there was Alvin, her lifeline. Whenever Jewel needed something and Reece, David or the grandchildren couldn't be there, Alvin came. He made countless trips to the store, fixed her television, rescued her tablet, and took care of whatever else she needed. Their lifelong teasing and bickering wassimply another language of love. Beneath it was an extraordinary devotion, and what Alvin did for hissister cannot be overstated. Jewel knew he was another one she could always count on. Her nephew Lester “Bo” Colwell was another special part of her life. He was her boy. Bo was the onewho showed up when something needed to be done. He was a mechanic and driver by trade and he may not have known everything about anything, but he knew a little bit about everything and was always willing to try. He gave Jewel something more valuable than expertise: he showed up. And she loved him dearly. Jewel was also a breast cancer survivor. She never weighed more than 125 pounds, and that was when she went into the hospital to give birth to Reece. In her final years she weighed around 70 pounds, but when cancer came, she refused to let her size determine her strength. While others sometimes had to miss treatments, Jewel powered through and beat cancer. In her final years, her world became quieter: it was her loveseat, her tablet, Facebook, a cigarette, and a cup of coffee. She could spend hours with her Facebook family, and when she accidentally turned on the closed captions on the Game Show Network, everyone nearby knew it was time to “come get these words off my TV.” Those ordinary moments are now precious. Jewel loved fiercely. She gave generously. She sang. She read. She fought. She spoiled her grandchildren. She remembered hungry children. She loved Christmas and adventure. She loved her family with everything she had. And she loved Gene. Gene passed away just a little over three months before Jewel. In the months afterward, she often said she just wanted to go be with him. On October 1, she did. Jewel leaves behind a daughter who was her whole world, a loving son-in-law, three grandchildren who were the center of her heart, brothers and sisters who loved her, and a family full of people carrying pieces of her with them. She also leaves behind former students who remember her kindness, people who remember the Christmas gifts she gave, and a granddaughter who learned to love books because Jewel loved them first. Grandsons that know how to be respectful of women because they want everyone treated the way they treated their granny. Jewel was small, but her life was not. Her love was not. Her legacy is not. She was simply Jewel, and there will never be another one.

Visitation for Edith Jewel Barger will be at 12:00 p.m. with Funeral services following at 1:00 p.m. On Sunday, October 4, 2026, at the Upper Lost Creek Pentecostal Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Calvin and Carol Bowling will officiate and provide music, with Tabitha Noble also singing.