Florence Barnes, 97, of Coldwater, passed away peacefully surrounded by those that loved her on Tuesday, February 5 at Northern Lakes Rehabilitation Facility in Angola, Indiana.
Visitation will be held at 12:00 Noon until the time of the service on Friday, February 9, 2018 at Dutcher Funeral Home in Coldwater. The service will begin at 1:00 PM with Pastor Kelly Hadlich of Battle Creek Friends Church officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery.
Florence was born September 24, 1920 to George and Matilda (Kurz) Becker in Wauseon, OH.
She was very fortunate to have known several great loves in her life. She married Howard Haas in 1937 and together they had 3 children: Howard, George and Barbara. He preceded her in death in 1945. On January 5, 1946 she married Edgar “Bud” Barnes and they had a daughter Rebecca “Becky”. After Bud’s death, Florence was introduced to Doyle Sweeney thru her brother Jr. Florence and Doyle were companions for over 30 years. They shared many things in common and enjoyed winters in Florida, playing cards, golfing together and trips to Vegas.
As the matriarch of the family business, Coldwater Rendering Company, she was active in many company endeavors until the company sold in 1987. She enjoyed traveling to rendering conventions with Bud and sewing blankets and making many wonderful homemade meals for her children and grandchildren when she was home.
Florence was a well-traveled woman and enjoyed going to Las Vegas every year for her birthday. Many knew her in Vegas because she always wore the most colorful earrings you could imagine. Her favorite pair included dice and a royal flush. She was easily picked out in the crowd in her flashy jacket with her arms up in the air after she won a hand on her favorite video poker machine. In her younger years she enjoyed playing golf, and you could often find her deep in a spirited game of Euchre with whoever dared to play against her.
More than anything, she was fiercely loyal and protective of her family. She enjoyed spending quality time with those she loved around the pool, at a reunion, or just around the dinner table. She was happiest with a glass of White Zinfandel and a dish of her homemade potato salad as long as she was with those she cared about. She had a quick wit and was always in the mood for a good joke. She was known for her impeccable memory of important events and could easily recite the names, birthdays and ages of everyone in her family at a moment’s notice. She will be deeply missed by those that loved her, but also greatly celebrated for the amazing life she lived.
Florence is survived by her children George Haas of Coldwater, Barb Darby of San Diego, CA, Becky (Vern) VanWhy of South Bend, IN; her grandchildren Carla Cruz, Michael (Heather) Haas, Jennifer (Matthew) Tacheny, Kelly (Richard) Hackney, Bridgette (Tim) Kellogg, Wendei Hadley, and Nick (Renae) VanWhy; 18 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her Parents George and Matilda Becker, her brother George BeckerJr. (Jr), her sister Fran Baum, her husbands’ Howard and Bud, her son Howard, her grandson AJ and her companion of over 30 years, Doyle Sweeney.
Memorials may be directed to the Coldwater Elks Scholarship Fund. www.dutcherfh.com