Ann Elizabeth Barlow

Ann Elizabeth Barlow, 69, passed away on April 16 at her beloved Brown County home and flower farm, surrounded by nature and her flowers that had inspired her for four decades in the community of Needmore. Ann was born to Lucinda and Whitney Barlow on January 28, 1949, in Indianapolis. The oldest of three siblings, she graduated from North Central High School and briefly attended college and art school. Her approach to life was influenced heavily by her father, who encouraged Ann to freely explore the outdoors, defy societal expectations, and learn how to fix a car engine. She lived for several years in Bloomington, where she gave birth to a daughter (and ultimately her best friend), Sarah. They moved to Needmore in the late 1970s, and Ann happily embraced the community’s isolation and unorthodox lifestyle, as well as the rigors of living closer to the land, making do with fewer comforts, and bartering with neighbors to dig a ditch or wire a house. She had an imaginative, creative soul and was an artist (painter, stitcher, knitter) as well as prodigious supplier of handmade knitted scarves and hats for a Nashville gallery. For more than 20 years she sold homegrown plants and flowers at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, where she was known among the regulars as the Lotus Lady. Ann is survived by her “kidder,” Sarah; sister, Jane; son-in-law, Boonma; and grandson, Aiden. She is preceded in death by her parents and brother, William (aka Bill or Uncle Daffy)—all of whom she took care of as age and illness eroded their independence. Ann’s life and irrepressible spirit will be celebrated in private by her family, and her ashes will be scattered around her favorite places near Needmore and Bloomington. The family is grateful for condolences and well wishes, but graciously declines flowers or donations. The best way to honor the memory of Annie Barlow would be to plant a seedling and help it grow with love. Online condolences may be given to the family at www.BondMitchellFuneralHome.com