Dora Laurine Barnett

Dora Laurine Barnett, 97, died at the Circle of Life Hospice in Springdale, Arkansas, on Monday, June 8, 2020. She truly had a caring and giving heart of gold. Besides being a loving and faithful help-mate to her spouse for 74 years, she successfully raised seven children, and gave willingly and cheerfully to the Siloam community for many decades. What a rich blessing her life has been to so many people. Laurine was preceded in death by her husband, Ray Barnett; sons, David and Robert Barnett; brothers, Robert Franklin Hardcastle (WWII) and Achel Enos Hardcastle, Jr.; sisters, Eileen Hardcastle Calhoun and Laveta Hardcastle Frances. She is survived by two daughters, Jane Johnson (husband, Jerry) of Waco, TX; Mary Boxx (husband, Randy) of Siloam Springs; and three sons, Mark Barnett (wife, Sandra) of Lawrence, KS; Jonathan Barnett (wife, Christy) and James Barnett (wife, Marilyn), both of Siloam Springs. She is also survived by two sisters, Mary Hardcastle Chivers (Little Rock) and Evelyn Hardcastle Davis (husband, Ron), of Bartlett, TN, as well as 19 grandkids, 30 great-grandkids, many nephews and nieces; sister-in-law, Jeanette Barnett Pettey, of Siloam Springs; and daughter-in-law, Margaret Barnett, of New Jersey. She was born as the third of seven children on October 30, 1922, in the family country home 3 ½ miles SW of Gentry, Arkansas, to Achel and Mollie Hardcastle (Hardcastle Orchards). In addition to being a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, she was an excellent homemaker (cook, canner, seamstress, and gardener), pastor’s wife, and Sunday School nursery teacher. When her family was fully raised, she became heavily involved in community projects. One of her first volunteer jobs was becoming a Welcome Wagon hostess (over 25 years), greeting newcomers to town. Later she served as leader of the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary and was popularly known for her cooking beans and homemade cornbread during the Dogwood Festival as a fundraiser, and earned the nickname as the “Poppy Lady” (42 years) passing out red crepe paper flowers at the Post Office before Memorial Day to remember the millions of Americans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. She lost her younger brother in the Battle of St. Lo, Normandy, France, in WWII. Since 1973, also as part of the American Legion, she and her husband, Ray, took on the responsibility of recruiting high school juniors to attend Boys and Girls State, raising and giving much money for their support (over 40 years), and providing rides to and from their summer conventions. Laurine was an active member of the First Baptist Church, Civitan and the Benton County Republican Women’s Club, and SCAN (Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect) volunteer services. She was one of the founders of Creative Homemakers and the Genesis House. She also directed the Heartbeat Benevolent Fund at the First Baptist Church, helping hundreds of people in need with rent, utilities, groceries, rides, medical treatment, prisoner visits, and much more. In 2001, she was voted as Pioneer Citizen of the Year by the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Barnett was a woman who made immense sacrifices for her family and her community, and invested wholly in their physical and spiritual well-being. She will be remembered by her solid, unconditional and selfless love for others, as well as her delicious cooking (beans, homemade cornbread, apple butter, apple cider, blackberry jelly, cornbread dressing, blackberry cobbler, pecan pie, and multi-grain pancakes). She was an encourager, one who always looked on the bright side of life, and quickly let bygones be bygones. What a beautiful example she was of growing old with grace and the love of Christ, even in her suffering. With the completion of a fruitful and long life, she lived her years well, and now will enter into the eternal glory as a follower of her Lord Jesus Christ, faithful, loving, kind, and gentle to the end. Funeral services will be 10 a.m., Saturday, June 13, 2020, at the First Baptist Church in Siloam Springs, with Pastor Steve Abbott officiating. Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Siloam Springs. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, June 12, 2020, at the First Baptist Church in Siloam Springs. For the visitation and funeral services, guests will be limited to 216 people at one time and everyone will be required to wear their own facemask, per the guidelines set forth by the State of Arkansas. The service will be livestreamed on Facebook (Mark Barnett’s FB page) for anyone unable to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Heartbeat Benevolent Fund, First Baptist Church, 2000 Dawn Hill Rd, Siloam Springs, AR 72761.

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Dora Laurine Barnett

October 30, 1922 - June 8, 2020