Zeta Rose Barnett 1939-2006

BARNETT, STOLZ, SWENSON

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/30/2009 at 22:53:10

Zeta Barnett
April 2, 1939-June 11, 2006

Zeta R. Barnett, age 67 of Soldier, Iowa, died Sunday, June 11, 2006 at her home near Soldier.

Services were held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 14 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mapleton with Msgr. Mark Duchaine officiating. Burial was in St. Clair Cemetery, Ute. Bonita Kane was the organist for the service and music included, "Amazing Grace", "The Old Rugged Cross", "Our God Reigns" and "Morning Is Broken". A rosary by St. Mary's Guild was said at 3:30 p.m. and a vigil wake service was held at 7:00 p.m. at the church.

Zeta Rose Barnett was born April 2, 1939, at home near Fiscus, Iowa in Shelby County, the daughter of Elmer and Pauline (Stolz) Swenson. She attended Kirkman Community School in Kirkman, Iowa and then onto Irwin, Iowa where she graduated from high school with the class of 1957. She attended Airline School in Kansas City, Missouri after graduation. In 1959, Zeta married Ken Richards and moved to Camp Pendleton, California where Ken was serving in the United States Marine Corp. They had one son, Terry Richards and one daughter, Tracy Richards. Upon completion of his military service, they returned home and lived on the farm near Kirkman. Later they moved in Kirkman where they had bought their first house.

Zeta then became employed with the United States Postal Service and moved to Laurens, Iowa. She married Kent Barnett May 14, 1988 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. From Laurens she went to West Liberty, Iowa as Postmaster and finally to Bonne Terre, Missouri from where she retired.

During the Laurens years she served as OIC in many other post offices. After retirement Kent and Zeta moved to their present residence near Soldier, Iowa.

She was a member of the Rotary serving as the first woman president of the Rotary in West Liberty, Iowa, a member of the National League of Postmasters, the Postal Employees Women's Club, the National League of Postmasters-Retirees and was the Editor of the National League of Postmasters Newsletter. She was an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mapleton along with St. Mary's Guild, having recently served as President of the Guild.

Those survivors left to cherish their memories of Zeta include her husband, Kent; her son, Terry Richards and his wife, Laurie, of Charter Oak, Iowa; two sisters, Joyce Huber of Tampa, Florida and Jolene Hass and her husband, Ken, of Loveland, Colorado; one brother, Gary "Red" Swenson of Kirkman, Iowa; four step sons, Randall Barnett, Richard Barnett, Ronald Barnett, and Roger Barnett; one step daughter, Tana Barnett; ten grandchildren and three great grandchildren along with several other relatives and numerous good friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Pauline Swenson; one sister, Jeanne Swenson, one brother Randy Swenson, one daughter, Tracy Richards and one step son, Rodney Barnett

A memorial fund is being established as the Zeta Barnett Memorial Postal Excellence Award.

Pallbearers were Danny Dimig, Vernon Melby, Steve Wessel, Rev. Fred Pilecki, Don Seufert, Roger Melby and Duane "Dewey" Neppl.

Arrangements were made under the direction of the Armstrong Funeral Home of Mapleton.