Lynnette Susan "Lynne" Barnes

CASA GRANDE - Lynnette Susan "Lynne" Barnes, 63, died in Casa Grande on Feb. 13, 2019, after eight months of fighting cancer.

Ms. Barnes was born on Jan. 7, 1956, in Plentywood, Montana, and briefly attended elementary school in Canada prior to being raised in Sheridan, Wyoming, as the oldest of four siblings. She graduated from Sheridan High School and went on to work as a police dispatcher before enlisting in the Army, where she worked as a special agent in counterintelligence. When she was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, she met her husband of 36 years, Curtis Wilkins, and became a mother to his three children while continuing careers in the Army Reserve, social work, National Security Agency investigations and as a public fiduciary. She also earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Maryland.

After her medical retirement in 1993, she moved from Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista back to her hometown of Sheridan, where she assisted her husband in his work for Normative Services, helping to house and rehabilitate children from unstable home environments. After her husband's retirement, she and Curt moved to Elbert, Colorado, where they befriended a community of fitness enthusiasts who helped get the two of them in shape. She considered these people dear friends who became part of her ever-extending family.

After a short time in Hawaii, she settled with her husband in Casa Grande, took long-anticipated vacations to Disneyland and Las Vegas, and had plans to beat cancer and visit the Grand Canyon. She loved her husband and family fiercely, was passionate about animals and enjoyed science fiction, sports, traveling and watching other people cook things on television. She enjoyed her dog, Banjo.

She is survived by her husband; two sons, Richard Wilkins and Curtis R. Wilkins IV; a daughter, Valerie Williams; three brothers, Thomas, Donald and Ronald Barnes; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Kathleen Barnes, and a sister, Rebecca Amsden.

A small gathering is planned later in Casa Grande to celebrate her life.

Donation of time or money may be made to a local animal shelter or a donation may be made to a cancer research foundation.

J. Warren Funeral Services, Cole & Maud The Gardens Chapel in charge of arrangements.