LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Wilma Barnstable, co-founder of the Barnstable Brown Derby Gala, passed away at 94 on Oct. 21. Her family shared the announcement to the public on Monday, remembering her as a “force of nature.”
Born and raised in the small town of Corbin on Aug. 9, 1928, she was a child of the depression era, who rose to prominence as the host of one of the most prestigious annual Derby parties. She enrolled at the University of Kentucky at 16. Upon graduation, she married, had four children, and began a career as a math teacher. According to her obituary, she got multiple master’s degrees along the way.
After retiring, she co-founded the Barnstable Brown Derby Gala with her daughters.
Her grandson, Chris Barnstable-Brown, said that she was the “heart and soul” of the gala. She worked tirelessly to maintain the bank accounts, prepare tax returns and sell tickets and sponsorships. Every year, the gala attracts Hollywood celebrities, social elites and politicians to Louisville in the lead up to the Kentucky Derby. To date, the gala has raised over $17 million to establish and support the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at UK Healthcare. As recently as this week, Barnstable-Brown was making preparations for this year’s gala.
“Through her work on the gala, Wilma became the confidant of a bewildering list of corporate titans and celebrities, all for the purpose of raising money for diabetes,” her family shared with Spectrum News 1. “Not bad for a girl from Corbin.”
According to her obituary, she was also a zealous fan of the Kentucky Wildcats, a choir director, a seamstress, a party planner, a former Miss Whitley County, a businesswoman and a philanthropist. She leaves behind four children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Visitation for her funeral will be on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1:00 p.m. with a brief service to follow at 2 p.m.