Elizabeth (Betsy) Dempf Barnhart

Betsy Barnhart died peacefully at her home at Carlsbad by the Sea on August 7, 2026, surrounded by her loving children. She would have been 102 years old on Sept. 5. She spent her life connecting with people and engaging them to promote peace. Betsy was often found marching for causes in which she believed, volunteering at community, national, and international service agencies, libraries, and her church

Betsy Dempf was born Sept. 5, 1924, in Orange, New Jersey. She moved to Pasadena California 3 years later with her household of women including her sister, mother, aunts and grandmother. She attended Polytechnic and Westridge Schools in Pasadena and then went to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania where she met her future husband, Paul (Barney) Edgar Barnhart. This was during WWII and Paul was in the Navy and about to be deployed overseas. They were married in Pasadena in 1945 and raised their three children Nancy, Bruce, and Barbara there. Betsy loved being a mother and found great fulfilment in raising her children.

Betsy was a mother and an activist. She volunteered at her children’s schools and after they left home, she and Paul (Barney) moved to Palos Verdes. She returned to college and earned her Master’s Degree in Humanities. While pursuing her degree she started a job as the Volunteer Coordinator for Head Start. Betsy had a way of encouraging others to volunteer and help as she continued to find ways to help others. In San Pedro, she started SHAWL (Support for Harbor Area Women’s Lives), the South Bay organization, FISH, the ecumenical Christian outreach program, and coordinated the annual LA Harbor Hunger Walk. She and Barney moved to Cardiff in 1993, and she immediately started volunteering at the Community Resource Center and became a reader to children at Cardiff library. She was also very active in Jubilee USA, and she was an elder at her church, Christ Presbyterian Church She was instrumental in organizing the San Dieguito Interfaith Ministerial Organization and was an active member

When she wasn’t volunteering, Betsy was always up for an adventure She loved travelling with her friends and children. She said her greatest adventures were her backpacking trips to the Sierras with her son, Bruce, her travels to South Africa, Kenya, Alaska, and seeing the whales in Baja California. After Barney died in 1996, she was often found travelling with friends or her adult children. She enjoyed seeing much of Europe, Central and South America and China. Betsy was a fun travelling companion and always up for new sights, foods, and experiences.

Betsy is pre-deceased by her husband Paul and her sister, Joella. She is survived by her children, Nancy, Bruce, and Barbara, and many nieces and nephews, and friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Carlsbad by the Sea on Sept. 5, 2026 at 11:00 am

To honor Betsy, please volunteer your time to help others in need or donate to:

Encinitas Community Resource Center - https://www.crcncc.org/

Jubilee USA - https://www.jubileeusa.org/