Betsy (Skinner) Barnes |
| Posted 2017-02-12 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Thursday, January 26, 2017, page 3a Betsy Barnes died at her home in Prescott, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. A longtime Prescott resident, Betsy was born in San Antonio, Texas, daughter of Evelyn Burr Skinker and Julian Hampson Skinker. She moved at age 5 with her family to Roanoke, Virginia. At The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, she fell in love with Ron Barnes of Kansas City, Missouri and they married after she graduated and he returned from Army tour in Korea in 1954. Living in Boulder, Colorado for seven years, where their children, Lisa and Tim were born, Betsy worked at the University of Colorado while Ron pursued his master’s and doctorate degrees. Each place they lived Ames, Iowa; Tuskegee, Alabama; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Prescott, Arizona; Mankato, Minnesota; Minnetonka, Minnesota; Topeka, Kansas; Tempe, Arizona and back to Prescott offered unique opportunities that nourished Betsy’s growth and outlook. A lifelong member of the League of Women Voters, she developed many civic-minded nonpartisan friends. While living in Minnesota and Kansas she received her master’s degree that prepared her to work as a school librarian at Topeka High School, a position that she thoroughly enjoyed. In high school Betsy’s foundational citizenship development experience was through Girls State. She was elected a Supreme Court Judge. Leadership skills blossomed with her high school presidency of Y-Teens. In college she served on the Judicial Council. Prescott Junior High (now Prescott Middle School) also benefited from her leadership as President of the Parent Teacher Association in the late 1960s. Leadership training was inherent growing up as a Southern Baptist youth. Her parents encouraged her to visit and learn about other denominations. As high school Sunday school teachers in Boulder, Betsy and Ron took youth to visit various religious services in Denver. In Betsy’s adult life, the protestant church with the strongest social justice orientation was the family church. As an adult in her mid-50s, Betsy joined the more liberal Unitarian Universalist Association and became active in the Prescott Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Early career aspirations were to be a YWCA Program Director supporting girls’ development of leadership skills. This interest in girls and women’s leadership development was continued in her volunteer involvements throughout her life, and in raising her daughter. For many years her greatest joy aside from family was hiking with the Pine Lakes Hikers in Prescott National Forest. When she found it necessary to give up hiking she joined a neighborhood book club. She also took classes in the OLLI program at Yavapai College. Her life has been enriched through her close relationship with her brother, Hampson Skinker, who lives with his family on the East Coast. Betsy is survived by her loving family: husband, Ron; daughter, Lisa; and grandchildren, Katelyn, Dylan, Natalie and Austin. Friends are invited to attend a celebration of Betsy’s life at The Prescott United Methodist Church, 505 W. Gurley St. on Saturday, Feb. 4, 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Betsy’s name to: The Ron and Betsy Youth Leadership Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship awards for Youth Leaders of the Year. Checks should be made out to the Arizona Community Foundation and sent to the Yavapai County Community Foundation, 300 E. Willis St., Suite B, Prescott, AZ 86301. Please indicate Youth Leadership Awards on the lower left of check. Information provided by survivors. |
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