Barbara Nettles, 48, loved helping others

Barbara Nettles organized neighborhood picnics, volunteered at local schools and helped out at church charity events.

She was there when others needed her, but she wasn’t one to wave a flag over her accomplishments, her husband said.

“Barbara was kind of a facilitator for getting things done, but she didn’t like being the headliner,” said Jim Nettles of Decatur. “That’s why she liked working with people who would sometimes be the more charismatic leader type.

“She was everybody’s best cheerleader, the kind of person where you felt like you were really supported by her,” said her husband.

Barbara Jean Gaby Nettles, 48, of Decatur died of cancer Saturday at Emory University Hospital. The body was cremated. The memorial service is 4 p.m. Friday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. A. S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Nettles worked as an office manager for Atlanta portrait artist Comer Jennings while she was still in college. Later, she expanded those skills into a bookkeeping business for other individual clients and small businesses.

After her daughters were born, though, she spent more time with her family and used her abundant energy to pitch in wherever she could best use her talents.

“Barbara wasn’t the kind of volunteer who went and did big splashy, giant balls and things like that,” said her friend Lisa Turner of Decatur. “It was more grass-roots kinds of things. Like if there was a block party picnic in our neighborhood, she was on it.”

Mrs. Nettles enjoyed seeing her home transformed into an impromptu gathering place for her daughters’ friends.

“She was one of those cool moms who really understood teenagers, and they always felt comfortable around her,” Mrs. Turner said.

“And if she wanted to be your friend, there was no stopping her,” Mrs. Turner said. “When she saw something in people that she really enjoyed, whether it was their creativity or their love of life, she did whatever it took to become their friend.”

Last year, Mrs. Nettles went to work at the Trader Joe’s store in Midtown —- partly because she loved the friendly vibe of the place, partly because she was a dedicated cook and an organic foods enthusiast.

Sometimes when she entertained, she’d set out her best crystal and china. Other times, she passed around the paper plates.

“She was a remarkable hostess, and she thought the main thing about manners is that it’s about making people feel comfortable,” her husband said. “It wasn’t about being pretentious.”

She is also survived by daughters Eve Nettles and Ellen Nettles, both of Decatur; parents Van and Jean Gaby of Suwanee; and brother Mark Gaby of Edmond, Okla.