Eunice Barnes

Eunice L Barnes

December 15, 1931 – May 24, 2026

My sassy, endlessly curious Mom, Henry’s Grandma Til, friend to many, and years’ long teacher Eunice Barnes died Sunday May 24 after a brief illness. Despite our profound sadness at the loss, we are amazed at her tenacity and ability to squeeze joy out of life. She was a remarkable 94 years old.

Mom was born in Greene, NY and always thought of Greene as “home.” She graduated from Greene Central High School and then attended Ridley Secretarial School. Among other classes, she aced shorthand which came in handy when creating secret Christmas present lists later in life.

After working as a secretary (she could type over 100 wpm), Mom enrolled in the Navy Reserves as a WAVE stationed in NYC. She loved telling the story about exiting an elevator with her usual charge-ahead attitude and crashing smack into an Admiral!

She went to college on the G.I. Bill and she saw her future as a teacher. Over her many years of teaching at Watertown (CT) High School and Litchfield (CT) Middle and High School, she taught French, Spanish, Latin, and typing. Mom was the original grammar police! Woe to the person who misused fewer and less, didn’t pronounce Sophomore correctly, or mixed-up the use of bring and take. Much to her chagrin, despite her years of patient coaching, none of her family ever understood the bring and take rule.

Mom and Dad (George Barnes) married in 1959 and lived in the same house on Litchfield Road in Watertown CT for their entire married life. When Dad passed away in 1997, Mom moved to Maine and once again made a new place her home.

When her grandson Henry was born, she retired. Mom and Dad had the best times of their lives being Henry’s Grandma Til and Grandpa Bear. Mom was fortunate enough to see Henry grow up and build a great life that includes his partner Caelan, whom she thought was a perfect addition to our family. That family also includes her former son-in-law Marshall and my partner, Dave.

Mom was a crossword master and it was rare that anyone could beat her at Scrabble. If you challenged a word, she could give you the definition and often the Latin derivation. Her curiosity was boundless. She read voraciously and loved public libraries. As her father did for her, she championed my reading choices. She never told me I couldn’t read something. Mom could be fierce when she wanted to be. In the early 1970s as a full time teacher, Mom applied for a credit card with a small dress shop she frequented. They denied her application because she didn’t

have her husband’s signature. She stopped shopping at that store. Even as the years rolled on, her feisty nature could show itself with a pretty serious eye roll of displeasure.

As we say goodbye to this kind, smart, and clever woman, we are grateful for our times spent together. If you would like to honor my Mom, read a new book, go for a walk, learn to knit or bake bread. Be curious about the world around you. Or, maybe, just give a sassy eye roll to someone you love.

Arrangements are under the direction of the new Conroy-Tully Walker Cremation, Funeral, and Gathering Center, 300 Allen Avenue, Portland.