Obituary from the Lawrence Journal World, Saturday, November 18, 2000:
Services for Pearl Olive Barnhart, 90, Overbrook, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Washington Creek Church of the Brethren, northeast of Overbrook. Burial will be in Washington Creek Cemetery, northeast of Overbrook.
Mrs. Barnhart died Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2000, at an Overbrook nursing home.
She was born May 22, 1910, in Centropolis, the daughter of James Christian and Sarah (Sleppy) Firestone. She attended schools in Centropolis and moved to Overbrook about 10 years ago.
Mrs. Barnhart and her husband farmed in the Centropolis and Overbrook area for 52 years, and she was a member of the Washington Creek Church of the Brethren.
She married Clarence Clifford Barnhart on March 29, 1936, in Topeka. He died Feb. 5, 1989.
Survivors include three sons, Melvin K. Barnhart, Independence, Mo., Vern D. Barnhart, Carbondale, and Clifford N. Barnhart, Havensville; a daughter, Sharon E. Lair, Smithville, Mo.; a stepdaughter, Maxine Holden, Ottawa; a brother, Cecil H. Firestone, O'Fallon, Mo.; and a sister, Violet May Pardun, Spokane, Wash.
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From Funeral Memorial, November 20, 2000:
Pearl Olive Barnhart was born and raised in the Centropolis area. At Pearl's early age, her mother passed away, so she helped raise her six brothers and sisters, plus attended school herself.
In 1936, she married Clarence Barnhart. In addition to his daughter, Maxine, they together raised four children. She was a good wife and mother and loved her children very much - always making sure they were clean and well groomed. She took pride in their accomplishments. Melvin in his diesel mechanics, Sharon in her computer career, Vern in his woodworking skills, and Cliff in his career at the Power & Light company, plus being a straight A student.
She was a good cook. In addition to those regular home made meals, cooking for harvest crews and taking late afternoon snacks of sandwiches and homemade pie to the field was always a joy. She always provided tasty dishes at the community get togethers, too.
As a homemaker, she was a good seamstress, making clothing for her children - from overalls, baseball caps, to frilly dresses out of feed sacks.
She enjoyed providing for her family, spending hours working in the garden and canning foods for those winter meals. She took pride in her flower garden which was always full of bloom with many different colors.
As a family together, we enjoyed visiting relatives and vacation trips to Ohio, Washington, Louisiana, and Old Mexico.
As Pearl's children, we have many memories of our Mother. For instance, Mother was very particular about the cleanliness of her home, including the yard. We all left home thinking we would never have to pick up sticks again, but we find ourselves doing it yet today. Cliff made sure he spent a lot of time with Dad - because Dad's chores were a lot more fun than Mother's.
The dust and dirt from chopping down those old dead hollyhocks was really itchy, worse than working in the hay field. At least the hay had a purpose, we thought!
Picking blackberries and gathering walnuts on Grandpa's place with a wagon and a team of horses was an all day affair, including picnic lunch.
Cooking apple butter in the copper kettle over an open fire sure made tasty treats.
A lot of situations we've had to encounter in life, the solutions were already taught to us by our Mother. Mother and Dad taught us a lot and gave us a good foundation for living, morals, manners, and hard work.
With appreciation and love - we would like to remember our Mother. And how fortunate we were to have Pearl Barnhart as our Mother.
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