Obituary of Barbara A. Barnes

Barbara A. Barnes, 90, of Robbinston, Maine, died April 13 in a Bangor healthcare facility. She was born August 7, 1927 in Robbinston to Ernest C. and Princess (Wilson) Brown. Barbara graduated from Calais Academy in 1945. There she met Ernie (Ernest) Barnes, and the two were married in 1948. After time spent in Pittsburgh, PA and Portsmouth, NH, Barbara and Ernie returned to Robbinston in 1965 with their son, (Ernest) Jeff Barnes. After attending business school in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Barbara began working at the Calais branch of the 1st National Bank of Bar Harbor in 1967, where she worked until her retirement 23 years later. Except for winters she and Ernie spent in Florida, Barbara called the family property in Robbinston, named Brooks Bluff, home. Barbara and Ernie ran Brooks Bluff Cottages - the family cottage rental business which was started by her father in 1920 - until 2007. Barbara took great pride in running the business and will be remembered as a welcoming and attentive host. She particularly enjoyed getting to know the families who would come each summer to the cottages, sometimes over generations, and still received letters and calls from past guests, which she enjoyed immensely. In her retirement, Barbara kept busy running the business with Ernie and, after the cottages were closed, returned to sewing and embroidery as a pastime. She very much enjoyed visits from friends and loved catching up with them. She was grateful for their support and companionship, especially so in recent years. Barbara was proud of her son Jeff and all of his accomplishments. She held a special place in her heart for her grandson Aaron, who always made her smile, and who accompanied her and Ernie on many trips across the country. She adored her two great-grandchildren and was fond of reading to them. She leaves them with wonderful memories of visits to Brooks Bluff, where they would comb the beach looking for treasures with their “G.G.”. Barbara was predeceased by her husband Ernest in 2010; her sister Betty Blood; her brothers Philip R. Brown and Harold L. Brown; and a half sister, Patricia Harvell Thurston. She is survived by her son Ernest J. Barnes of Bangor and his companion Carol Finnemore; her grandson Aaron J. Barnes and his wife Jessica of Hampden, and their children Owen and Phoebe Barnes. Barbara was very fond of the cats she cared for over the years, and she leaves behind her cat Callie, now lovingly cared for by a friend. Donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to the Sewall Memorial Congregational Church in Robbinston. Announcement of a graveside service at Brewer Cemetery in Robbinston will follow.