Jean Barnes

Jean J. Barnes

1934 - 2023

Jean J. Barnes passed away on December 26, 2023, after a brief illness and a long life, but her joie de vivre lives on in our hearts.

She was born Jean Felice Jordan, on June 12, 1934 in Los Angeles, to Frances (Dodson) and Wendel Jordan. In her early years, she and her mother and aunt Thelma moved to pre-war Honolulu. She was seven when she saw Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor (including her mom's and aunt's workplace at Hickam Field) on December 7, 1941. A few years later, her mother married Dr. Francis K. Sylva, a dentist, banker and Territorial Senator in Hawaii who chaired the creation of Honolulu International Airport. Jean spent time during her childhood between Los Angeles and Hawaii, graduating from Punahou in 1952. She attended Stanford University as an art major, where she met and married Bryant Turner Schley (Turner), and lived in Palo Alto, CA. It was there that she began what she considered to be her most important role in life, that of a mother, giving birth to her first two children. After Turner obtained his graduate degree from Stanford, they moved to the Santa Ynez Valley, to be near Turner's family. In the Valley, she was blessed with a third child and raised all three. In 1974, Jean married James T. Barnes (a Solvang attorney) and was married to him until his death in 1990.

Jean loved the lifestyle and community of the Santa Ynez Valley and remained there until her passing. She pursued many passions, including horsemanship, art, and music. She was an avid horsewoman and trail rider and was very active in the Santa Ynez Valley Horse Show Association and 4-H. She was active in the St. Mark's in the Valley church choir and in community theatre. She loved to paint and continued to draw horses into her later years and passed along her passion for the arts to her three children, seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Her main passion, other than being with her family, was rescuing and caring for animals. She cared for many rescue animals throughout the years: dogs, cats and horses.

She was a voracious reader, with a quick wit and a love for history and trivia. We were fascinated by how many Jeopardy questions she could answer even before the contestants buzzed in.

She loved to be with people and loved hosting gatherings. Jean would give you the shirt off her back and wanted to ensure that everyone felt included. She loved comedy and had a very contagious laugh - while watching Carol Burnett shows and Pink Panther movies, we enjoyed listening to her infectious laughter just as much as we enjoyed the shows themselves. She made many friends at Atterdag and enjoyed their company.

Jean leaves behind her children, Mike Schley (Santa Barbara), Caryn Hofer (Los Angeles) and Diane Senger (Fort Mill, SC) and their families:

Mike: Wife Nancy Schley, children Nathan Schley (and his wife Ana, children Oskar, Abigail and Lilia) of Santa Barbara; Erica Schley of Arcadia, CA (children Mariam, Abdurahman and Laila Aly); and Samuel and Reeves Schley of Santa Barbara.

Caryn: Husband Ralph Hofer and children Kurt Hofer (wife Emily and children Charlotte and Sofia) of Altadena, CA; and Scott Hofer (wife Kylie and son Henry) of Cohasset, MA.

Diane: Son Ben Senger of San Diego, CA.

Jean's family is grateful for the care that she received at Atterdag Village and would like to thank Dr. Gustavo Dascanio for his dedicated care over the years.

Out of respect for Jean's love of animals, please consider a gift to the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society.