Madeline Newcomer Barnard passed from this life into heaven’s eternal life on September 14, 2020 following a lifetime devoted to Jesus Christ, her Lord, her church, her husband, and to her family and friends.
She was known everywhere by several affectionate names: Madelyn, Mom (by her children), Grandma (by her grandchildren), “Babe” (by her husband), Maddie (by friends and family), Aunt Madelyn (by her nieces and nephews), and “one of the twins” (by teachers in the schools she attended). Madelyn was the last surviving member of her immediate family. Her twin sister, Adelyn, passed away in 2015. Their parents, Vernie and Jeanette Newcomer, raised four children: Madelyn and Adelyn (called “Sister”), C.A. (called “Sonny”), and Marie.
Madelyn is survived by her husband of sixty-three years, Rev. Dr. Tom Barnard of Southlake, TX; their children—Rev. Bruce Barnard and wife, Amy Watkins Barnard of New York City, NY; Gaylene Wallace and husband Mickey of Southlake, Texas; granddaughters Elizabeth Barnard of New York City and Lyndsay Kennedy and husband Travis of Ft. Worth, TX and great-grandson Connor; grandson Dr. David Barnard of Philadelphia, PA; and friends everywhere—all of whom loved her deeply and will miss her for as long as they live.
Madelyn and her siblings were born in Davis Creek, West Virginia—a rural area near Charleston. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1943. Following graduation from high school in Phoenix, both Madelyn and Adelyn moved to Pasadena, California, where they obtained jobs at Pasadena Nazarene College. The sisters met and subsequently married their husbands there.
After marrying Tom, Madelyn worked in several Savings and Loan companies to support her husband during college and seminary, including giving birth to their two children while Tom was engaged in graduate studies. Following seminary, Tom accepted ministerial assignments in Upland, San Diego, and Whittier, California. Madelyn continued working in various places near where they lived, including managing two nursing homes.
In 1966, Tom joined the faculty at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, and for sixteen years Madelyn and Tom raised their children in Bethany-area schools. Madelyn worked at SNU for a few years before accepting a position at the Gilbert Medical Center in Bethany, where she worked for the next 13 years. In 1982 Madelyn and Tom moved to Quincy, Massachusetts, where both accepted positions at Eastern Nazarene College. They worked there for nineteen years, retiring in 2001. They returned to the Bethany area to be near friends—especially Adelyn and husband Tom Winders.
Madelyn will always be remembered for her love for “Everything and Anything” Christmas. Her reputation of decorating the interior of their home—especially at Christmas—followed her from Bethany, Oklahoma, to Boston, Massachusetts. Madelyn collected only the finest Christmas ornaments available. Over the years her collection of ornaments—from Radko to Hallmark, and beyond—reached into the thousands of pieces. She and Tom hosted Open House events for years—both in Bethany and Quincy, Massachusetts. She decorated Christmas trees in every room of their home—different sizes and themes. But all Christmas! While living in Quincy, the Patriot Ledger newspaper got wind of her collection and did a large pictorial of Christmas at the Barnards. They dubbed her, “The Queen of Christmas”, and she was.
Once “back home in Oklahoma,” Madelyn and Tom immediately re-engaged in church and community life in Bethany, particularly at Southern Nazarene University and Bethany First Church of the Nazarene. In 2013, while they were residents at Southern Plaza, Madelyn was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Eventually they relocated to Concordia Assisted Living Center in Oklahoma City, and then to Southlake Texas where Madelyn received full medical care until her passing.
Due to COVID restrictions on travel and funerals, a memorial service for the family will be held later in the Fall. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Madelyn’s memory to the Barnard Family Scholarship Fund at Southern Nazarene University, or the Barnard Family Scholarship at Eastern Nazarene College.
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