Eloise Roberts Barton

Born in Culpeper, VA, on August 29, 1930, to Willis and Hattie Roberts, Eloise was the youngest of two daughters. She attended Culpeper Baptist Church, where she was baptized at the age of eight and carried a deep love for Jesus throughout her entire life. At the age of 17, she moved to Arlington, VA, attended Strayer Business College, and met her sweetheart, Bob, on a blind date. They married and several years later welcomed their beautiful daughter, Tricia, into their family and planted lifelong roots in Arlington.

Her first job was at Arlington Realty as a secretary in the mortgage loan department. From there, she worked for a few real estate attorneys and then began a career in ministry. She served as the pastor’s secretary at The Church at Clarendon for 18 years before retiring. Following retirement, she volunteered for NorthStar Church Network for 11 years as an administrative assistant.

Eloise attended several churches, including First Baptist Church of Ballston, Boulevard Baptist, The United Baptist Church, Columbia Baptist, and Parkwood Baptist. She was the first female deacon at Boulevard Baptist and one of her favorite positions was teaching Sunday School to young girls, many of whom remained close well into adulthood. She had a love for butterflies, yellow roses, afternoon teas, Virginia cardinals, and Surf Side Beach in South Carolina.

Eloise is preceded in death by her husband, Robert (Bob) Barton; her daughter, Patricia Barton Bouwmans; her parents, Willis and Hattie Dwyer Roberts; her sister, Dorothy Roberts Glass; and her brother-in-law, Omar Glass.

She is survived by her niece and nephew-in-law, Sharon and Paul Spencer. She also leaves behind her “special great-grandchildren,” Josephine, Royle, and Hazel, and many friends and family who loved her and were loved by her, including the NorthStar staff, and neighbors, and staff at the Goodwin House.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 11am at The Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads, 3440 S. Jefferson St. Falls Church, VA 22041. Interment will take place Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11am at Columbia Gardens Cemetery, 3411 Arlington Blvd Arlington, VA 22201.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National MS Society, nationalmssociety.org, P.O. Box 88540, Carol Stream, IL 60188, and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, komen.org, 13770 Noel Road, Suite 801889, Dallas, TX 75380