Connie B Barnett

Connie Baldwin Barnett passed away on January 6, 2024. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Donald Owen Barnett; her parents, Percy LeGrande and Frances Gray Baldwin; her older sister, Mary Jo Baldwin; and her stepson Stephen Neil Barnett. Connie is survived by her children, Dr. Christopher B. Barnett (Stacy) and JoAnna Barnett Newton (Bert); her grandchildren: Luke, Caleb, Paul, and Grace Barnett; and Reese, Owen, and Hank Newton. She is also survived by her stepdaughter, Sandy Barnett of Chincoteague, Virginia, with whom she remained close throughout her life.

Connie was born on July 18, 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a proud graduate of Brenau University and the University of Alabama, where she studied education at the undergraduate and graduate levels respectively. She and Don married in November 1972, initially residing in Tullahoma, Tennessee, but the couple eventually settled in Homewood, Alabama, when Don took a faculty position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

After Don’s untimely passing in 1983, Connie returned to teaching. For nearly two decades, she tirelessly devoted herself to special education at Edgewood Elementary School in Homewood. Known for her passionate commitment to students with disabilities and/or disadvantages, plus her exacting attention to detail, Connie left a lasting mark on Edgewood.

In her retirement, Connie enjoyed cooking, conversations with family and friends, and doting on her beloved grandchildren. Complications from a childhood battle with polio significantly limited her mobility in recent years—a struggle that she bore with unmistakable courage, unimaginable patience, and more than a little ingenuity. Her life was full of tragedy, and yet she lived it fully and with grace. She was an inspiration to all who knew her.

The family will receive friends at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1400 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL on January 10, 2024 beginning at 12:00 PM with the funeral service following at 1:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Connie to Best Buddies Organization, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, or Post-Polio Health International.