Jennifer Barnes
Published 2:44 pm Tuesday, June 9, 2020
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It is with a solemn and extremely heavy heart that I must announce the passing of my gorgeous warrior bride.
Jennifer R. Barnes was born in 1972 in Princeton, N.J. She married her soulmate and lifetime companion, Thomas Barnes, of Bogalusa, in 1993 after they met while Tom was on active-duty in the Army.
Jenn never met a person she didn’t like or trust. She was a very outgoing, gregarious, and lively individual, all traits she claims she inherited from her grandmother Jeane Vitellaro, who Jenn absolutely adored and who preceded her in death. These traits are exactly why she made such an excellent medical professional.
She was likewise preceded in death by her uncle James Heaton of Tom’s River, N.J., and her best friend and sister-in-law Susan Boytis of Mexia, Texas.
To my wife, my life was a better place for you in it. You were my rock that kept my mind on the right track. My only reason for getting up everyday was to see your beautiful face and to please you. The world is now a lesser place because God called you home. But your job here in the physical world is done and now you occupy a place whereby you can help keep an eye on those of us still here. I hope we don’t disappoint you.
Jenn is survived by her husband of 27 years, Tom Barnes of Bogalusa; a son, Zachary, of Columbus, Ohio; a daughter, Sydney, also of Bogalusa; a nephew, Albert Boytis Jr., of Oklahoma City, Okla.; a niece, Nicole Boytis, of Bogalusa; her in-laws, Tom and Linda Barnes, of Bogalusa; her mother, Carol Kitchen of Port Hudson, Fla.; a brother, Albert Boytis Sr. and his wife Kristin and her children, David Klay and Kylee Dawn, of Mexia; a sister, Jamie, her husband Tom, and their children Tommy and Sarah, all of Groveville, N.J.; her brother, Mark Oravsky and his wife of Washington state; her favorite “cyber auntie” Valerie Dromboski, her husband Tom, and their children, Heather, Samantha, T.J., and William; her loving nieces and nehpew, Erin, Ricky, Shannon, and Katie, all of New Jersey; and finally, her precious great-nephew Xander Cornett of Belton, Texas.
There are so many more people who could and should be mentioned here. People like her boss, co-worker, and dear friend Dr. James Christopher, his wife Amy, and their three daughters. She touched so many lives in her short time on this earth. I wish I had the room to list them all. But please, just because you are not mentioned in here, don’t for one minute feel you were any less important to Jenn than anyone else. It would probably be easier, and a much shorter list, to list family and others with whom she did not have a relationship. Just know she loved each and everyone of you in her own special way. And the easiest and best way for you to honor and express your love for her is to live your best life.