Eve Beth Barnes

Eve Beth Barnes ( nee Witzke), passed away on Friday, September 13, 2024. She is the beloved wife of the late L. John “Jack” Barnes ; devoted mother of Mary Allyn Foster and her husband Lamar Foster; Amy Barnes-Elliott and her husband Charles Elliott ,Jr.; cherished grandmother of Charlie, Jacob and Eliza Elliott.

Beth was a fiercely loyal and loving family member and friend. She was a caregiver and mother to many through blood or just through love.

She was also an excellent educator. As a young woman, Beth taught in the Baltimore City Schools, and then later in life after Mary and Amy were raised, she returned to work as a reading specialist and tutor. Later, she worked on the cutting edge of computer technology to work at Control Data and at Towson State University educating the professors on how to use computers. In the early 1980s she went to Charleston, SC. to attend classes on a new computer program called PowerPoint. At that time, it was not very user friendly and was exceedingly difficult to learn, but Beth worked hard to learn it and to bring it back to Towson State where she taught all of the professors how to use it in their classes.

Beth and Jack were devout Christians. They taught Sunday school at Hunt’s Church for many years. They were also always interested in social justice and did what they could to help others in the world. In the 70’s, they belonged to an organization called “Fish” that delivered food and other necessities to families who found themselves either homeless or without money for food and other necessities. When they were on call, they would receive phone calls 24 hours a day and would immediately respond.

Beth continued with her causes until very late in life. In her 80s she continued to volunteer at ACTC in Towson, handing out food and vouchers to people experiencing homelessness. She also most recently attended a protest on John Hopkins’ campus for women’s rights. She was very excited to tell others what she was doing and was risking being arrested. Imagine how disappointed she was when the day ended peacefully and she didn’t get thrown in the back of a police car and locked up. She and her pastor even had a plan for how he was going to bail her out of jail.

Beth and Jack were also gracious hosts. They hosted almost all holidays at their home on Joppa Road. In addition to hosting family holidays, they also held many crab feasts for Western Maryland College, Gettysburg College, the Marine Corps and Jack’s insurance company. They also hosted many international students through the YMCA, the Baltimore Council for International Visitors and Peabody Institute.

In addition to raising Mary and Amy, Beth also cared for both her dad and Jack’s dad at their home. She taught all of us that caring for our elderly family members is not a burden, but rather an honor.

Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service on Saturday, November 23,2024 at 12:00pm at Hunt's Memorial United Methodist Church, 1912 Old Court Road. Towson, MD 21204. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Beth's honor to ACTC, Assistance Center of Towson Churches 116 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Towson, Maryland 21204.