Betty Jean Barnett

Betty Jean Barnett, age 94, passed away on December 16, 2025. Betty was born February 4, 1931, in Monrovia, Indiana. Her earliest years were spent with her parents, Cecil and Jennie Minton. Then in September 1934, Betty went to live with her grandparents, Bert and Vesta Minton. From age six to eighteen, Betty was raised by her aunt and uncle, Myrel and Harold Clark, at their home in West Newton, Indiana. Her brother Lowell was raised by grandparents Ada and Walter Gibbons, and by his father and stepmother. Her sister Dorothy was raised by friends of the family. Betty had always hoped that she and her brother and sister could have been raised together, but difficulties in supporting a family during the Depression dictated otherwise. As a teenager Betty was active in Job’s Daughters, 4-H, and Band. After graduating from Decatur Central High School, she worked as a stenographer for the American Loan Company and then for the family of William H. Zimmerman, MD, in Dublin, Indiana.

In 1949 Betty entered Indiana Central College on a full scholarship, earning a Bachelor of Science in education in four years. In the late 1960s, Betty did graduate work at Portland State University after which she taught elementary school. For health reasons, she gave up teaching in 1973, then embarked on a Christian Book Ministry.

Betty married David Barnett on December 26, 1952, in West Newton, Indiana. David and Betty moved to Longview, Washington, in the fall of 1954, where they raised two sons.

As her children were growing up, she taught Bible School, Sunday School, and worked in Education, Missions, and Evangelism in the Church. She started a Prayer Circle and Prayer Chain and took a personal interest in a number of missionaries. Her hobbies were collecting Christian poetry, reading Christian literature, sewing and crafts, taking photos of the family, travel, and gathering family history. In 2008, Betty and her husband moved to Yakima, Washington, to be near family.

Betty is survived by her husband David Barnett, sons Bruce and Kurt (Teresa), three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

A private viewing for family will be held at 9:30 am on January 8 at Keith & Keith Mortuary, followed by a private committal at Terrace Heights Memorial Park, located at 3001 Terrace Heights Dr., Yakima, WA, 98901. A Memorial Service for family and friends will be held Friday, January 9, at 11:00 am in the Meyer Auditorium at 211 N 40th Ave., Yakima, WA 98908.