Juanita Jane Barnhart, 81 of Vero beach, FL made her final journey to heaven on February 21, 2024.
She was born in Cleveland, Ohio on March 30, 1942, and resided in Solon, Ohio. She has been a resident of Vero Beach since 2017. Prior to that she lived in Sebastian, FL, Ayer, MA and Wickliffe, OH as well as numerous places in between being part of a military family.
Juanita is survived in life by her daughter, Wendy Guy who resides in Vero Beach, FL, an elder sister Priscilla Pack of Plant City, FL and younger sisters, Winifred Scalley of Vero Beach, FL, April Jordan of Williamsburg, IN and Faith Jordan of Ayer, MA and four great grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her loving husband Michael W. Barnhart of 37 years; her son, Michael R. Barnhart and parents Richard and Wilma Jordan.
Juanita retired from the Department of Defense in 1994 after a long career in Finance & Accounting. Post retirement and in between vacations, she was actively involved in extracurricular activities volunteering at the Visiting Nurses Association, the Environmental Learning Center and the Spoil Island Project. She was one of the original Pease Greeters in Portsmouth, NH that welcomed and cared for our Troops, Department of Defense employees, Civilian Contractors and occasionally working Military Dogs as they returned or deployed through Portsmouth International Airport. Juanita also established a group of women that had given out over 650,000 stars to troops, veterans and organizations in the USA where embroidered stars from retired flags were cut from the blue canton, then bagged with an inserted prose.
She traveled across the Artic Circle to the Land of the Midnight Sun and walked on the “Top of the World”. And at the age of 80, she went skydiving.
Juanita was passionate about her family, friendships, church, traveling, kayaking, bicycling, golf, walking the beach, book club, and wine time.
She was an exemplary wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She embodied the best of qualities: unconditional love, strength of spirit, and an unending generosity that could be seen in her care for her mother, husband, children and countless others.
Juanita touched so many people in her 81 years. She will be missed on earth and heaven is fortunate to have gained another angel.