Gloria Jean Barnes

Gloria Jean Barnes, loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away unexpectedly on January 1, 2021. She was born on May 5, 1932 in Kissimmee, Florida. She resided the majority of her life in Tampa, Florida where she was a graduate of Jefferson High School and the University of Tampa with a degree in Education. She was preceded in death by her parents, Anne and Rodney Padgett of Tampa, sister, Betty Tucker of Mulberry and brother, Robert Padgett of Tampa. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 27 years, William Barnes (Papa Bill), who was the love of her life; five children, BJ OShaughnessy of Clearwater Beach, Susan Shufelt (Mark) of Kennesaw, Georgia, Gus Richard Jimenez, III of Tampa, Sharon Phelps of Tampa, Linda Holcomb (Danny) of Oldsmar; five grandchildren, Jay Cooper (Robin) of Lutz, Maggie and Sarah Wiggins of Kennesaw, Georgia, Jeremey Holcomb of Tampa, Jill Gazsi (Jeremiah) of Trinity; great-grandchildren, Robert and Gavin Cooper of Lutz, Calin Roche of Tampa, Ben Mitchell, Caleb and Daniel Gazsi of Trinity; a sister-in-law, Ruth Padgett of Dundee and many nieces and nephews.

Gloria was known for her style of dress. Whenever you saw her, she turned heads when entering a room. She always wore bright colors with everything coordinating from her accessories to her shoes. She loved her fashion jewelry and always had earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets to coordinate with what she was wearing. Her makeup and hair were always in place. She was a striking, beautiful woman. After graduating college, Gloria taught kindergarten and fourth grade for twenty-seven years at Edison Elementary School in Tampa. She had a love for students and they all loved her back. She had much respect at her school amongst her coworkers and the parents of her students.

As much as Gloria loved her family, anyone that knew her could see her love for the Lord was first in her life. She was a devoted Christian woman and both she and Bill were prominent, active members and Elders at Countryside Christian Church in Safety Harbor where they attended for twenty years. They participated in various groups within the church. When there was a special dinner or a guest speaker at the church, she would invite family and friends to come for the special night that she participated in organizing. For the past five years, she has attended The Church of the Ascension (Episcopal) in Clearwater. Every Sunday her daughter BJ picked her and Papa Bill up and you would always find them sitting in the first row. She never missed a Sunday.

The family wants to express their love and appreciation for the care that was given to Gloria over the past 15 months at Arden Court of Largo. The staff has been so attentive, loving and compassionate. We just want to say “thank you for the selfless love you gave to our mother.”

Funeral services will be held at The Church of the Ascension in Clearwater and will be announced at a later date.