NANCY BARNES Dec. 27, 1952 – April 15, 2022
Nancy Barnes, 69, passed away on April 15, 2022, in Los Alamos, NM.
Nancy was born on December 27, 1952, in Webster City, IA to her parents Joe and Fran Segar. When Nancy was six years old, her family moved to Los Alamos, NM where she spent the majority of her life.
While growing up, Nancy was often found on the golf course with her father, mother and older brother Larry. In 1971, Nancy graduated from Los Alamos High School and became a dental assistant after attending Northern New Mexico Community College.
Nancy found a great deal of joy in animals, in particular horses and dogs. She was very proud of her work to train large draft horses and loved to share stories about it with friends. Nancy was an enthusiastic country music dancer and for a time taught line dancing in Santa Fe; she was known for her long black hair.
Nancy met a rodeo cowboy Doug Barnes and soon afterwards they married in 1974. They had a son, Ryan, but separated before Ryan was born. Nancy was fiercely independent and raised Ryan largely as a single mother.
Nancy had a soft spot for veterans since her father served in the US Army Air Corps during WWII and her brother served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. For several years, Nancy served on the Auxiliary board for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
During her free time, Nancy was an accomplished seamstress and made beautiful costumes among many other items. Later in life, Nancy was struck with the same disease her mother struggled with, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). It is a painful and debilitating disease with no cure that reduced Nancy’s mobility over the span of a several decades.
Later in life, Nancy would often to go her friend’s business Paw-Fect Cuts to help out, be with the dogs and socialize with the customers.
Nancy is predeceased by her son Ryan and brother Larry.
She is survived by her sister Linda Patterson and her loyal pet companion, Rosco.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday July 15, 2022, at 3:00 PM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ building in Los Alamos (1967 18th St, Los Alamos, NM).
