On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, Carolyn J. Barnett’s family and friends lost a loving, caring, smart, complex and remarkable woman.
Born in 1944 to William and Anna Holstein (Moore), in the rolling hills of northern Bourbon County near Mapleton, Carolyn and her twin sister, Marilyn, were soon joined by brother Fred and later by younger brother Earl. They played and worked as farm kids did in those days. Carolyn was naturally athletic, especially in basketball and softball. She was also a gifted student. After school in Mapleton and high school in Blue Mound, Carolyn attended Iola Junior College on an academic scholarship. Since her father died while Carolyn was in high school, she had to support herself as a waitress while she was in college. After college, Carolyn found a job with Western Insurance in Fort Scott where, to quote her sister, “She went to work in the department where all the smart people worked.” She married Jerry Turner, and they had a son, Matt Turner, who was her greatest joy and pleasure for the rest of her life. Her husband took a job in Neosho County, so they moved to Chanute. As things work out sometimes, Carolyn found herself a young, single mother. She found a job with the Department for Social and Rehabilitation Services in Chanute, where she worked for 40 years. She worked with SRS in several locations including Fort Scott, Independence and Chanute.
In Independence, in the spring of 1988, Carolyn and Steve Barnett were lucky to meet and they were soon a couple in love. They traveled when they could and saw all parts of the U.S. Carolyn had not been able to travel much as a single mother but, now, she loved seeing the mountains, deserts, plains, rivers and lakes. She especially loved the country’s national parks and monuments. She also walked the streets of San Francisco, saw the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty as well as many smaller towns and cities. Carolyn got to wade in the oceans on both sides of our country and she loved it. She was a true traveler.
Through all of this, Carolyn’s true passion was her family and friends. Over the year, she gained two granddaughters, Kaedy Galle and Braedy Turner. Through them, she had three great-grandchildren. Carolyn was also delighted to learn there’s another great-grandchild on the way. She called Matt’s wife, Ashley, her daughter-in-love. Both her sister, Marilyn Woodward, and brother, Fred Holstein, have children and many of them have children as well. Carolyn followed each of them through their lives. She sent cards and presents for all occasions and truly took an interest in them. She kept in regular contact with her large family plus her good friends, some of whom she’s known for 60 or 70 years, being generous and supportive with all. She was truly a friend. After retirement, when she still could, she traveled the four-state area, seeing the sights with her twin sister and adored friends from Independence in Kansas and Lamar, Missouri.
These friends, relatives, grandchildren, son and husband will treasure her memory and the time they were fortunate to have shared with Carolyn. Carolyn has made a substantial difference in all of our lives.
