Patricia A. Barnes

Patricia Ann DeVaney Barnes, of Aurora, died on February 4, 2017. She was born on August 14, 1929, to Fred and Martha (Spear) DeVaney, in Rolla, MO. The family, including siblings Nancy and Dan, moved to Hibbing, in 1942, as Fred pursued his mining career. Pat earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of MN and met her future husband, Richard Edward Barnes, of Minneapolis, while volunteering at New Jersey’s Matheny School Summer Camp for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Dick and Pat married, in Hibbing, on September 8, 1951. In Aurora, Pat made a home for Dick, and their five children, and then began her teaching/administrative career in the field of Nursing at Hibbing Community College; she was actively involved in the creation of the Itasca Nursing Education Consortium and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Pat was a voracious reader and a life-long learner, with a vast array of interests. She was a long-time member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Association of University Women, the Aurora Walkie Talkies, the Eshquaguma Country Club, and was an active member of the Aurora United Methodist Women’s Group. She was a strong proponent for equal rights for women. She is survived by her siblings: Nancy (Chuck) Hegelheimer, of Long Beach, CA, and Daniel (Jane) DeVaney, of Hoyt Lakes; children: Dr. Matthew (Ann Curoe) Barnes of Plymouth, MN, Rebecca Kahl of Spokane, WA, Sara Barnes of Aurora, David (Pamela) Barnes of Spokane WA, and Martha (Frederik ten Sythoff) of the Netherlands; and grandchildren: Naomi and Micah Burland, Andrew and Meagan Barnes, Natalie and Willem ten Sythoff, and Grace Barnes. Patricia was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, in 2013. Memorial services will be held at the Aurora United Methodist Church at 10:30 on Friday, February 10, 2017 with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Pat with a contribution to the Aurora United Methodist Church, the Northern Pines Long Term Care Facility or the Aurora Friends of the Library. Arrangements by Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Aurora.