Margaret Leslie Prowse Barnett

Margaret Leslie Prowse Barnett passed away peacefully on February 18, 2023, in Hoover, Ala.

Growing up in a loving household with 11 children, Mom had no shortage of entertaining stories. She loved her childhood as the second youngest of this great group. A succinct and very poignant phrase of hers stands out. “Five of our boys joined five different branches of the military and went off to war, and all five came home.” This was a rare distinction against a background with plenty of loss due to the War. Her loving parents stepped in whenever necessary occasionally taking in other children in need and filling gaps within the community. This certainly shaped Mom’s very generous spirit. The joy she showed in the telling of her young days still delights our hearts. Mom was the last to go from this group of 11 siblings and we know what a joyous reunion they had on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

In 1947 she married Bill Barnett and set about chasing five boisterous children around whose births spread out over 15 years. Those 4 plus decades raising the five of us in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on our farm and in the city was the backdrop of lots of excitement, love, laughter and more than a few challenges. She saw us through it all and we were grateful and honored to dedicate ourselves to her health and happiness. Mom left her beloved Hopkinsville in 2019 to live with her daughters and continue an action-packed life buzzing with the next generation of children.

If you didn’t meet Margaret through her decades of parent life in Hopkinsville, you met her through her very first job after being a stay-at-home mom in car sales at Williams Chevrolet, or maybe her many years as a bank teller at what is now Fortera Credit Union, or through First Baptist Church, or her various friend and card groups. But if you were lucky enough to have met or known Mom, you are smiling right now because that is the power she had on folks. Along with her family and friends, including many nieces, nephews, grand and great-grandchildren, and her beloved Bill and Theresa, we all will cherish the impact she had on our lives, and will honor her joyous memory.

Margaret is survived by her children, Pam Hale (David) of Cadiz; Lincoln Barnett, Jr. of Palm Springs, Calf.; Leslie Kaufman (Jay) of Roswell, Ga.; Cindy Whitaker (John) of Hoover, Ala.; and Ashley Petyak of Woodstock, Ga.; among other beloved family members and friends.

Her loving family will have a celebration of her life gathering in Hopkinsville in the weeks to come and look forward to reminiscing with her many dear friends and family.