Joan Barnes was born Joan Howes October 16, 1927 in Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada to Alice Barrett Howes and Alonzo Howes.  Her mother was born Alice Maude Barrett the second youngest in a family of eight and grew up in Buffalo, New York. Her father, Alonzo Howes grew up in Eastern Canada also from a large family. Mom was not quite sure how they met but Ridgeway, Canada was across the border from New York.

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Alonzo and Alice were 5' or under so Joan always felt tall at  5'5". When she was born she weighed in at over 9 pounds which she thought perhaps may have been why she ended up an only child.

Joan Howes Barnes

- Born. October 16, 1927

- Passed. January 31, 2023

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Joan passed away in her home in Santa Ana, California after a brief illness. Both her children, Nancy and Steve were with her.