Iris I. Barnes was born Feb. 9, 1934, to Asahel and Nettie (Birdsall) Gage in Palisade, Neb., and departed this life July 7 in Brighton at the age of 82. She was laid to rest at the Riverside Cemetery in Wauneta, Neb., July 18.
The youngest of four children, she spent most of her childhood in the Palisade area and graduated from Palisade High School in 1952, valedictorian of her class.
In 1953, Iris married Darrell Barnes of Hamlet, Neb. They resided for a year in Junction City, Kan., where Darrell was stationed following his return from combat duty in Korea, and then returned to Palisade, where they had two sons, Douglas in 1955 and John in 1960. In 1961, the family moved to Brighton, where Darrell was employed by the R.E.A. for 34 years.
Iris was a full-time homemaker, though she worked briefly as a secretary at Gates Rubber Co. and, later, at a Denver law firm.
In 2004, the couple moved back to Palisade, where Darrell passed away in 2014. A year later, with health problems of her own, Iris returned to Colorado to reside with her son and daughter-in-law in Brighton, where she remained until her death. She passed away peacefully in home hospice, with family members at her side.
Iris was a member of the Palisade United Methodist Church, the Women’s Auxiliary of the American Legion and a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary. She was a self-taught guitarist, a competitive bowler, an avid reader of mystery novels and a huge fan of the Denver Broncos. She loved cats.
She will be remembered by many people for her prolific crocheting, as she produced hundreds of beautiful items. While many of these were gifted to family and friends, dozens were donated to charitable causes, particularly for veterans and the disabled.
Like her husband, she made every financial sacrifice for her children and helped them to achieve college degrees in law and engineering. More recently, she helped finance her grandson’s trip to Israel to participate in an archeological dig at Tell es-Safi.
Iris was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 61 years; her brothers, Wayne and Johnnie Gage; a nephew, Johnnie Wayne Gage; brothers-in-law, Harry Petsch and Wayne Borden; and sisters-in-law Betty Gage, Dwana Borden and Helen Gage.
She is survived by her sons, Douglas (Lorie Lee) Barnes, of Brighton, and John (Sarah) Barnes, of Lafayette; grandsons Dane Barnes, of Brighton, and Blake (Nicole) Ely, of Aurora; their son, Atom; her sister, Elsie Petsch, of Palisade; and various other nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Memorials may be given in her name to whatever worthy organization the donor should choose. Friends may send condolences online at www.carpenterbreland.com.