Marilyn ‘Pat’ Barnes, 84, nearly a lifelong resident of Rockville Centre, died Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Virginia Beach, Va. She was born in Brooklyn on March 17, 1932, her St. Patrick’s Day birth date being the reason she was always called Pat.
She was the daughter of the late Frederick Roberts and Hazel Downes Ackley, longtime residents of Raymond Street. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Cassius Bartlett Barnes Jr.; son, Thomas Gray Barnes, a longtime member of the RVC Fire Department who served as chief of Floodlight; sister, Carol Ackley Vetter; and brother, Frederick ‘Ted’ Roberts Ackley Jr.
Pat was one of the longest standing members of United Church. She was active on the board of trustees and served as the church’s treasurer for many years. She was a deacon who also participated in the Women’s Fellowship; the Mr. and Mrs. Club; and assisted with shows put on by the Men’s Club, shows directed by her husband, Cass. Her creative talents were put to good use as she constructed liturgical banners for the church sanctuary.
She loved to travel, and thus went on many adventures over the years, sometimes accompanied by family members. She and her two children spent Spring Break of 1975 in the Okefenokee Swamp. She hiked in Yosemite, and went on raft trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon (with granddaughter Sarah) and down the Rio Grande. In 1990, she traveled to Japan for the yearly conference of Soroptimist International, a philanthropic businesswomen’s organization to which she belonged for a number of years.
She also traveled to Europe, several times, once with granddaughter Barbara. Accompanied by her son, she went on a cruise in Alaska. With her daughter and grandson, she took a road trip up through New York into Canada. Another very memorable family vacation was a circuitous drive cross country to Oklahoma City, in part made to visit the historic home of Cassius McDonald Barnes, a governor of Oklahoma Territory and the grandfather of her husband, Cass. Along the way, stops were also made at many other locations of U.S. interest.
Pat was a graduate of Dean Junior College in Franklin, Mass. She met her husband shortly after her graduation when they both worked at Prentice Hall Publishing in NYC, marrying in 1953. Later in life, she was a longtime employee of Educational Activities in Baldwin, serving as the head of their purchasing department. She was not fond of computers, so she kept the company’s inventory in pencil on pads of yellow paper, personally (and accurately) counting by hand the many items in the company warehouse.
Pat was also very creative, in particular with the items she made on her little black Singer sewing machine purchased just before the 1955 birth of her daughter. Over the years, that Singer with Pat ‘at the wheel’ turned out numerous articles of everyday and special occasion clothing for her family, slipcovers, coats, drapes, children’s toys, and, of course, the banners she made for her church. In fact, she taught sewing on Saturdays with the Baldwin Parks and Recreation program for several years in the 1960’s.
Pat also liked to do needlepoint and knit, the result of which is that her remaining family all have beautiful afghans in their homes, and many have her needlepoint creations on their walls as well. When she ran out of family to sew and knit for, she started her own little craft business, PB Creations.
A resident of Pine Street since 1967, Pat sold her house in 2015 and moved to Virginia Beach to be with her daughter, her only surviving child, and the remainder of her family. When she passed, she had only just recently moved to The Gardens of Virginia Beach, an assisted living facility close to the homes of her daughter and grandkids.
Pat is survived by her daughter, Kathy Fenton (husband, Scott), and three grandchildren, Barbara Dennis (husband, Jeremy), Sarah Harris (husband, Stephen), and Scotty Fenton. Also surviving ‘Mommom’ are two great grandchildren, Katelyn Steide and Wesley Harris. She loved all of them very much.
A Celebration of Life will be held in her memory at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at United Church of Rockville Centre, 430 Morris Ave. She would be very pleased if any who knew her would attend. Interment will be with her husband in Calverton National Cemetery on Long Island.
Donations in her memory may be made to United Church of Rockville Centre, 430 Morris Ave., Rockville Centre, NY 11570.
Anyone wishing to do so may express their condolences at hollomon-brown.com.
