Louise Barnes

Waynesville, Sarah Louise Houston Barnes, 98, born January 1, 1926, joined her loved ones and her Lord Thursday, March 7, 2024, from her home.  A native of Macon County, she was the daughter of the late Jack and Dialphia Parker Houston.  She was married for 70 years to the late Dexter J Barnes, who died February 19, 2017.   In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her beloved granddaughter Shay Starnes, her 14 siblings, Henry, Zack, Ike, Lee, Elbert, and Garfield Houston, Ethel Stewart, Amanda Gregory, Flora Wood, Bertha Moss, Estelle Burnette, Ada Arvey, Lucy Norris, and Allifair Clark, step great-grandson Dillan Guy, and 27 nieces and nephews.

Louise was a homemaker and gardened until she was 90 years old. She cooked and did her laundry until she was 94 and would occasionally help with the dishes until she was 97.  When you visited her, you always ate, even if you were not hungry, so that she would stop asking you to eat.  She was always described by anyone who met her as sweet.  Her years on earth exceeded both her parents’ years, and all her siblings’ years.  The Christian walk of her and her husband impacted many people over the years.  She was a member of Hyatt Creek Free Will Baptist Church.

Louise is survived by five children, Clifton Barnes (Patricia), Barbara Parks (Ken), Hoyt Barnes (Brenda), all of Waynesville, Annette Barnes, of Canton, and Jeanette Barnes, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; three grandchildren, David (Karen), Andy (Shannon) and Chris Barnes; two great-grandchildren, Melissa and Morgan Barnes; and 14 nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be 2:00 p.m., Monday, March 11, 2024 in the Waynesville chapel of Wells Funeral Home with Reverend Larry Coates and Reverend Matthew Pressley officiating.  Burial will follow at Green Hill Cemetery with grandsons and nephews serving as pallbearers.  The family will receive friends from 12:30 p.m. until service time at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the Shay Barnes Starnes Memorial Scholarship, 1233 North Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786

The care of Mrs. Barnes has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Home of Waynesville.