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In Memoriam
After nearly 51 years of marriage, Robert Owen Barnes, 75, passed away June 9, 2022, and Elizabeth F. Barnes, 75, passed away June 14, 2022.
Bob was born in Moon Township, outside of Pittsburgh, the youngest of three brothers. He worked in the steel mill and on the farm where he was raised, and in school he played football and baseball.
Beth grew up in Edgewood, also outside of Pittsburgh, the oldest of three siblings. She was a quintessential good girl who was smart, popular, and loved to dance.
They met at Slippery Rock State Teachers College in Pennsylvania. Bob had moved from sports to finding his passion in the theatre department, building sets and starring in plays (a love he passed on and shared with his daughter). They met when Beth had to participate in a production to fulfill a graduation requirement, and the show was Guys and Dolls.
Bob enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1969. He valued this service highly and attained the rank of Sergeant, serving from 1969-1971. After his return, Bob and Beth were engaged and married in 1971. As young teachers (she taught forensics- speech and debate, he taught English and drama), they moved to Minnesota before Bob took a sales position with Kenworth, and they moved to Atlanta in 1977.
They had daughter, Amanda, that first year, and began to grow roots in the South, despite Bob’s loathing of the temperature and that “nothing is funny in the heat.” He went on to travel the world as a sales consultant for Paccar, and then later selling insurance with Aflac.
Beth began a side job with Weight Watchers that she built into a beloved career of over 30 years, until the time of her passing. She loved her job, won multiple awards, was profiled nationally and it has been said that if you have lost weight in Atlanta, you have done it with Beth Barnes.
Beth was a devoted member of St. John Neumann and served as a lector there for years. She and Bob were involved with spiritual communities in the area and were both deeply committed to service and the friendships that were found in a shared love of God.
They will be remembered for their charm and smiles, their love of music, their vivacity and emotional generosity. Bob was deeply patriotic, loved a long conversation where he could help someone by sharing his experience, strength and hope, and no one knew oldies and doo wop like he did. Beth never met a stranger, and genuinely wanted to know everything about everyone she encountered, and to befriend them (which she did, easily). She was both a wonderful leader and a wonderful listener, and always impeccably stylish and accessorized. They were both incredibly funny and loved to make each other and everyone around them laugh. They adored each other and were exceptionally supportive and loving parents to Amanda. Bob and Beth created a beautiful life and family together, and a home filled with music and dancing, where the motto was “it’s a laugh a minute.”
They will be deeply missed by family and friends, as they are deeply loved.
