Lorraine Merriman Barnes

Lorraine Merriman Barnes, 99, died Monday, July 7, 2014. She was born Sept 22, 1914 to Lee Merriman and Nola Baker Merriman in Wynnewood, Okla., the first of six children. The Merrimans later moved to Ripley County, Mo. where they lived on a farm at Poyner and later moved to Doniphan, Mo. She married the late John E. Barnes Sr. on Nov 11, 1942, in Corning, Ark. This happened while John was on home on leave after joining the U.S. Army Air Corps the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. While her husband was sent overseas to England, Lorraine returned to Doniphan to live with her parents. Following World War II, the couple lived in Cairo, Ill., Memphis, Tenn., Nashville, Tenn, Jackson, Tenn., and Huntsville, Ala. before returning to their ArkMo roots at Corning. After John Sr. died in 1975, Lorraine moved to Heber Springs to closer to her son John's family and was soon joined by daughter Lisa who married Dwight Olmstead. She is survived by her son, John of Little Rock and his wife Debbie; her daughter, Lisa and her husband Dwight of Heber Springs; and daughter-in-law Cheryl Orr and her husband Frank of Heber Springs. GeGe is also survived by five grandchildren: Ryan Olmstead, his wife Shanda and their daughter Abby of Atoka, Okla.; Christy Barnes Robinson, her husband Aaron and their two children, Mia and Alex, of Jacksonville, Ark.; Alesha Olmstead Pressley, husband Jason and three children, Lynnlee, Emmary, and Vaden of Heber Springs; Megan Barnes Keener, husband Josh and their two sons, Parker and Wyatt of Harrison; Alexis Olmstead Cranford and her husband Preston of Heber Springs. She is also survived by a sister Nancy Merriman Worley and her family of Germantown, Tenn. A visitation will be held on Friday, July 11, 2014 at Family Funeral Service 10 a.m. and funeral services will be in Family Funeral Service Chapel at 11 a.m. Interment will be in the Corning Cemetery in Corning, Arkansas at 4 p.m. Family Funeral Service, 100 West Searcy Street, Heber Springs, Ark. 72543. (501) 362-2088 www.dwightfamilyfuneral.com.