Betty Jane Barnes

Betty passed away peacefully in her sleep, on March 16, 2021 at the Heartland of Perrysburg Nursing Home, in Perrysburg, Ohio at the age of 102.  She was born in Holland, Ohio, on August 24, 1918 to Orval and Goldie Vesey Stair, the third of nine children.  Betty attended

school in Holland, Ohio.  She earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Toledo.  She first taught school in Amsden, Ohio. She married her loving husband,

James Woodrow Barnes on August 27, 1940.  He became a glider pilot in the Army Air Corp during WWII and was involved in the Allies capturing of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

After the war, he became a highly honored schoolteacher and football coach.

Both Betty and James were devout Christians and gave freely of their time and energy to support all of the churches they had been involved in over the years.  They were most recently members of the Hope Community Church on Starr Avenue in Oregon, Ohio.

Betty taught in many schools in the Oregon, Ohio area, and was a private tutor to many students in that area.  Betty taught and served as acting principle at Bethany Children's Home in Kentucky.  After James retired in 1976, he and Betty did missionary work for the Lakota Indians at a private school, the Brainard Indian School in South Dakota.   There was also time spent one summer working with Native American children at Southwest Indian School in Arizona.  In 2011, through a mission group, a mission church was built in honor of James and Betty in South America.

Preceding her in death was her husband James, her mother and father and seven of her siblings.  Surviving her are her youngest sister, Leah Fager, daughter Betty Gayle Broom, son Dr. James Keith Barnes, daughter Judy (Dan) DePeal, son Rodney (Michele) Barnes, daughter Carol Howell, and daughter Janice Pekema.  She is also survived by many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

A memorial service will take place at a later time.

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