Elaine A. Barnett

Elaine Alice Barnett, beloved mother, aunt, grandmother and friend, passed suddenly on December 12, 2020 in Olympia, Washington, from acute renal failure. Elaine was born on July 15, 1933, in Bellingham, Washington, to Ralph and Hilda Johnston. The youngest of the Johnston children, Elaine grew up in Bellingham, with sisters, Margie and Milly, and brother, George. It was the end of the Great Depression and, while that shaped her life in many ways, Elaine also enjoyed many of the typical things young children enjoy: making friends, playing sports and games, and taking part in outdoor activities, like snow skiing. Soon after graduating from Bellingham High School in 1951, Elaine began working at the telephone company and, in June 1952, married her high school sweetheart, John “Charlie” Barnett. In 1960, Elaine gave birth to the couple’s first child, daughter, Kathy, and 16 months later, son, John, joined the family. Soon after, Elaine and Charlie moved the family to Richmond Beach, in north Seattle, where Elaine spent the next decade taking care of the children. The family relocated to Thurston County in 1971, and Elaine lived in the Lacey/Olympia area for the remainder of her life. Elaine returned to the workforce when her children reached high school age, and she spent many years working for the Washington State Legislature. Always one to seek out opportunities to improve herself and help others, Elaine followed her passion for people, and returned to school in the mid-1980s to study Psychology and Business. She received her bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College and master’s degree from the Leadership Institute of Seattle. She became a Counselor at Madigan Army Medical Center in 1995, where she worked until she retired in 2005. Elaine made many deep and lasting friendships throughout her life, and enjoyed a host of social activities and hobbies. She loved reading and writing poetry, journaling about her life, playing games (especially card games – pinochle anyone?), going out to lunch or having coffee, visits to the mall, watching her favorite sports teams, spending time with her friends at church, and taking vacations with family and friends. Elaine was exceptionally kind and generous. She was eager to participate in a local charity auction, purchase gifts for friends or her grandkids, and happy to assist anyone who needed help. She was extremely proud of her four grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them, both at home and on family trips. She led a long and blessed life, and was so close to making it to her self-proclaimed goal of “living to 100.” Elaine is survived by her adult children, Kathy Barnett (Jeff Price), John Barnett (Deb Barnett) of Olympia, Washington, “adopted daughter,” Luz Castro of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; and four grown grandchildren, Ashley, Alex, Brian, and Zack. An informal celebration of Elaine’s life will be held on Friday, September 24, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Priest Point Park Rose Garden/Shelter #1, 2600 East Bay Drive NE, Olympia, Washington. Please come and share a snack, some sweets (which Elaine always loved!), your memories, and celebrate her life with us. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the following organizations: United Way of Thurston County - https://www.unitedway-thurston.org/ Autism Speaks - https://www.autismspeaks.org/ Thurston County Food Bank - http://thurstoncountyfoodbank.org/ Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.