Brenda Lee Barnes died on the 5th of October, 2016 at 3:00 am from Ovarian cancer after a three year battle. There will be a memorial for her at 2:00 on the 11th of October at Moore's Eastlawn Funeral Home, 1908 S Memorial, Tulsa, OK. Brenda leaves behind Larry Barnes, a loving husband of 49 years, three children: Juanita Fisher, Michelle Barnes-Gideon and Roger Barnes. Three grandchildren: Chris Thomason, Michael Thomason, and Brandon Fisher along with eight great-grandchildren.
Brenda was a quiet but exceptional woman that carried several titles with pride. Wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister, homemaker, secretary and Christian. She filled her home with love, her job with a high work ethic and professionalism and her belief in God with faith.
She came from a military family. Born Brenda Lee Goyne, daughter of Lt. Colonel Earl William Goyne and Juanita Elizabeth Jenney at Fort Eustis, Virginia (Newport News, VA). Sister to Jeffery, Nancy and Debbie Goyne. Her family's travels took her first to Germany, and then north to Alaska and back south to Kansas. Her journey finally brought her back to her home state of Virginia and Fort Eustis.
Her favorite childhood pastimes were long walks in the woods, horseback riding with her best friend Janet and reading adventure stories.
She first met her husband-to-be at the age of 16 by way of her brother, Jeffery. Over the next two years they kept in touch. When he returned from overseas, they resumed where we left off with Brenda and Larry getting married on Nov 18, 1967 at the Ft. Eustis chapel, Newport News, VA and they honeymooned in Washington, DC.
From there, it was off to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and with Larry joining the Air Force, to Texas for computer school. Her first daughter was born at the Sheppard Air Force Base Hospital, Wichita Falls, TX and was named Juanita. After Larry's graduation from computer school, they were sent to Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL and there, in February, 1971, her second daughter was born at the base hospital, which was named Michelle. Larry was accepted at Brooks Institute to finish his college degree, so in February, 1972, it was off to Santa Barbara, California. She got a job as a secretary and Larry went to school during the day, while working at a computer research facility at night. In September, 1974 their son Roger was born. Come graduation time in February, 1975, Larry accepted a position in Wichita, Kansas, so it was on the road again. It proved to be a poor choice of jobs since the company went bankrupt by July of that year. This prompted the move to the Tulsa and Broken Arrow area, which they made their permanent home. At each place, Brenda made friends that she corresponded with right up to the last days of her life. She has worked as a secretary for several engineering companies in the Tulsa area, including Williams Engineering, Nova Engineering and, finally, Callidus Technologies where she has made life-long friends that she continued to share her life with even after her retirement.
She will be missed.