Marian M. Barnes, age 82, of Indianapolis, Indiana, Died on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at St. Francis Hospital She was born: May 12, 1931 in Nebraska Her parents were Elsie Mae (Kirk) and Richard Wilds Marian’s grandparents homesteaded on the Nebraska prairie and at first lived in a sod house. Marian’s family raised cattle; her older brothers were real “cowboys”. At one time, her father was the “night sheriff” and carried a “6 shooter”. When she was just 3 or 4 years old, Marian’s first job was to break the ice in the chicken’s water bowl so the chickens could drink, and to trim the wicks of the kerosene lanterns. She and her siblings attended a one-room schoolhouse two miles away. When the winter snow falls were too deep for the little ones to walk, they would ride the large Belgian work-horses to school. She married Dallas McCoy Barnes, a motorcycle MP in the Air Force and an expert “roller skater”. They had son Kurt while stationed in San Antonio, Texas, but finally settled in Indiana, where they had two daughters, Sandy and Sarah (Mady). Dallas is now deceased. Marian told us about traveling from the western states to Indiana and being amazed at how green everything was and deciding that this was the place to live the rest of her life. In Nebraska, “if you planted a tree, you had to carry water to it every day until it grew a deep root and could survive on its own”. She grew to love trees and would feel distress when trees were cut down for new “development” construction. Marian always took us to church when we were children. She was beloved by many people and we had to share her as “mom” and “grammy” with many in our church family. She had a rich heritage of faith in the Wilds family and Marian’s children have continued to be active in their walk of faith. Marian asked her mother Elsie how she was able to carry on with all those children, particularly after the death of her husband when Marian was only five years old. She replied “I kept a tight hold on the Lord’s Hand”. Marian is survived by her son D. Kurt Barnes, and her daughter Sandy Bert (John Bert) of Indianapolis. Her youngest daughter, Sarah (Mady) Guenther Meckling (Gary Meckling) preceded her in death five years ago in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She has 6 grandchildren, Janna Beecham (Luke Beecham), Andrew (Jaime), Greg, and Tim Barnes, Angela Bert (Ronnie Weston Jr.) of Indianapolis, and Jacob Guenther of Saskatoon, and 2 great-grandchildren, James Dallas Barnes (Andrew) and Justin Barnes (Greg). Marian was the 14th of 15 children and is survived by the youngest sister, Rena (Walker) of Sterling, Colorado, and an older sister, Irma (Pitts) of Boston, Massachusetts. We have countless cousins worldwide, many we have never met. Marian pioneered the position of Patient Representative at the Roudebush VA Medical Center many years ago and did the job alone for 15 years. This was before they had patient advocates at other hospitals in the city. She was also given the job of answering official Congressional Inquiries - a huge responsibility! She knew the veterans, she knew the doctors and the staff and she also knew the law and advocated for the veterans in countless situations. When she retired nearly 20 years ago, they replaced her with a staff of five. Marian worked at the VA hospital a total of 30 years and served the veterans and their families well. We remember one situation where Marian brought the wife of a veteran home to sleep in her own bed. The woman and her husband had traveled from northern Indiana for his clinic appointment at the VA hospital in Indianapolis. He had to be admitted to the hospital and his wife did not have a driver’s license, had never driven a car, and had no money for a hotel room. Marian received many awards and recognitions for her excellent work at the Roudebush VA Medical Center. Marian was an accomplished musician, having played the piano and directed the pre-school “cherub” choir and eventually each of the children’s choirs as we grew older up through middle school at Calvary Baptist Church in the Brightwood area of Indianapolis. She also sang many duets at church with her daughter Sandy, beginning when Sandy was 9 years old. She was also an active member of the Indianapolis Chapter of Sweet Adelines ladies barbershop chorus for several years. She was a prolific seamstress and even taught herself how to upholster furniture. She sewed all kinds of garments, including dresses for her daughters when they were young. “We always had a new dress for Easter.” Marian sewed both of her daughter’s wedding gowns and their bridesmaid’s gowns. Her hands were never idle – she also crocheted many beautiful doilies. Visitation is Monday, June 24, from 4 - 7 pm at St. Paul the Apostle Evangelical Orthodox Church at 246 W. Main Street in Greenwood, Indiana. Tuesday, June 25, visitation is at 12:00 noon at Legacy Funeral Home, 1604 W. Morris Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46221. Bishop Joshua Beecham and Father Steve Walker will officiate at Marian’s funeral at 1:00 pm followed by burial at Floral Park Cemetery, 425 N. Holt Road. After burial, reception will be at Legacy Funeral Home from 3:30 until 5:30 pm. Flowers should be delivered to Legacy Funeral Home, 1604 W. Morris Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46221. In lieu of flowers, you may send memorial donations to St. Paul the Apostle Evangelical Orthodox Church, 246 W. Main Street, Greenwood, Indiana 46143.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 17:47:07 +0000
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