Barbara Ann Harnett-Carter

Barbara Ann Everley was born on July 27, 1934, on the family farm in Oakley, Kansas, to Willis and Leona Everley. Soon after her birth, the family relocated to Westridge, Colorado, and later to Clearfield, Utah. Following the end of World War II, they moved to Bertha, Minnesota before finally settling in Long Beach, California, when Barbara was 16. It was in Long Beach, through her church youth group, that she met the love of her life, James Dudley Harnett. They married on July 16, 1953, just before her 20th birthday. The couple settled in Orange, California, where they were blessed with three children: James Jr., Diane, and Thomas.

A devoted follower of Jesus Christ, Barbara delighted in sharing His love with everyone she met. She poured her energy into raising her family while remaining deeply involved in her church, Rainbow Girls, Eastern Star, PTA, Tupperware sales, and countless other activities too numerous to list. When her grandchildren arrived, she discovered her truest calling, in being a grandparent. Selflessly, she devoted her days to caring for them, enabling her own children to pursue their careers and provide for their families. Nothing brought Barbara greater joy than time spent with her grandchildren and, later, her great-grandchildren. She lovingly organized and hosted many family reunions, cousins camps, holiday gatherings, and countless other events to nurture close bonds among her far-flung family and loved ones.

After many joyful years filled with travel and adventure around the world, Barbara suffered the unexpected loss of her beloved husband, Jim, in 2002 after 49 cherished years of marriage. By God’s grace, she found love once more with recently widowed Victor Ray Carter. They married in 2003 and happily divided their time between Ray’s home in Northern California and Barbara’s home in Orange, where they delighted in each other’s children, grandchildren, and extended families. Ray passed away in 2020 after 17 years of marriage. Barbara then returned to live full-time in her beloved Orange home, where she remained until her peaceful passing on February 19, 2026.

Barbara leaves behind a beautiful, blended family of 7 children, (the new Magnificent Seven), more than 20 grandchildren, and over 50 great-grandchildren. We were profoundly blessed to have received the unwavering love, steadfast support, and generous care of Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma. Her warmth, wisdom, and selflessness will live forever in our hearts. She will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to The Mayflower Society (themayflowersociety.org) or Shriners Children’s (donate.shrinerschildrens.org).

A Memorial Service will be held at Fairhaven Memorial Park Mortuary, 1702 Fairhaven Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92705, US, on March 14, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.