Obituaries

Janet Marilyn (Ring) Barnes

Janet Marilyn (Ring) Barnes, 86, of Woodburn, died in Salem, Oregon, on April 2, 2023, of respiratory failure due to post-COVID pneumonia. With a CD of Bach cello suites playing, fresh flowers on the table, and covered by a quilt made by Salem Health nurses, she was surrounded by beauty. Her family was by her side in her final hours.

Janet was born May 7, 1936, in Sioux City, Iowa to Eldor “Jim” Ring and Ruth (Cochran) Ring. She graduated from Paramount High School in California in 1954 and earned her BA degree from Pasadena College in 1960. She taught for more than 25 years in Nye County elementary schools in Gabbs, Beatty, and Pahrump, Nevada. As an educator, she provided structure, clear expectations, and plenty of kindness, helping her students gain confidence and succeed. She especially loved reading to them, with J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” being a class favorite. During summer breaks, she enjoyed taking road trips across the country with her daughter, camping and visiting friends and family along the way.

After retirement, Janet relocated to Oregon to be closer to family. No longer able to travel, she spent hours watching the birds at her backyard feeders and was excited to share whenever she identified a new one.

Janet is survived by her daughter Claire Margaret Barnes and son-in-law, Daniel Blake Howland of Salem, Oregon. No memorial service is planned. Donations may be given to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at imaginationlibrary.com , which provides books to children free of charge.

-Submitted information