Obituary of Geraldine Colette Barnard

Geraldine (Coffing) Barnard, Northport, Maine

Geraldine (Gerry) Coffing Barnard, 98, the last of her generation, left us and our world in her home on December 31, 2022. She  was the daughter of the late Walter Coffing and Edna (Lung) Coffing.  She was predeceased also by her husbands,  Kenneth Carpenter, Elmer Barnard, and partner Robert Harvey, her  daughter, Laura (Carpenter) Johnson and her sisters, Arlene and Madeline. 

She is survived by her three sons, Walter, of Northport, wife Susan (Egan),  Calvin, of Albuquerque, NM,  and Allen, wife Alice (Ulibarri), of Farmington, NM, eight grandchildren,  17 great grandchildren, and 8 great, great grandchildren, all of whom she loved and was most proud.  

Gerry was born in Garrett Indiana where she met her first husband Ken and had their child, Laura.  Ken was killed in WWII. In 1947 she married Elmer and had three sons.  She and Elmer relocated from Jackson, Michigan to Concord, New Hampshire and then finally to Northport, Maine where Gerry lived the remainder of her life. 

As a lifelong member of the church, Gerry remained active in the Belfast United Methodist Church and was an integral part of the mission to build the new church on Mill Lane, where she served as a choir director and participated in many committees over the decades. Gerry was a proud “domestic engineer” and was skilled in many handcrafts, from crocheting, knitting, embroidery and sewing.  She made her own window treatments, donated crafts for the church Christmas fairs, and many babies laid beneath one of her lap robes. 

We are sure Gerry will be fondly remembered for her tough grit and perseverance and strong values.  The family would like to thank Sylvia Grover and Jacqueline Campbell who were so very helpful and kind to her in the last months of her life. 

Contributions to Belfast United Methodist Church may be made in her memory.  Memories and condolences may be shared on her tribute wall.