Roberta Eileen Barnett

1948 - 2017

Roberta Eileen Barnett
February 14, 1948 - November 29, 2017
40 year-resident of Santa Cruz
A private graveside ceremony will be held in Santa Cruz for Roberta Barnett who passed away in Dominican Hospital surrounded by loving family, colleagues, and life-long friends. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, she was 69 years old.
Roberta earned her undergraduate degree and her Master's Degrees at San Jose State University. Upon moving to Santa Cruz in 1978, she worked at Dominican Hospital as a nurse and was instrumental in the hospital's nurse training and education programs.
For more than 39 years, she had a career as a registered nurse, nursing educator, and health care professional. Roberta worked in the Student Health Services at UCSC, and retired from Santa Clara County Health Department as an administrator there.
She and her beloved husband of more than 25 years, Charles Sutton, experienced many wonderful moments living in Spain. For 18 years, Roberta and Charles were residents of Triana de Vélez-Málaga, a small village of 300 families, on the southern coast of Spain. As the only Americans in the town, they were treated as villagers; participating in all the region's festivals and feast days.
Roberta was an accomplished folk dancer, and she enjoyed village folklore performances. Her knowledge of Greek, Bulgarian and Spanish dancing complemented and enhanced the shared experiences with her family there.
She was a member of La Peña de la Bodega, Torrox Málaga, and Santa Bonsai Kai. She was a long- time congregant of Temple Beth El Jewish Community, and a member of RPEA.
She is survived by her husband, Charles Sutton, her daughters, Kimberly Ann Hampton, Melissa Barnett, Chea Mangran, and her son Todd Barnett. Roberta also leaves her six beloved grandchildren: Daniel Weinman, Ezra Barnett, Victoria Cain, Lauren Pozzi, Sophie Heflebower, and Henry Hampton.
She will be laid to rest at Home of Peace Jewish Cemetery in Santa Cruz. A memorial ceremony with traditional folklore dances and Flamenco dancing and singing, will be held in February at Temple Beth El. For information on the upcoming event, please visit the Benito and Azzaro Homepage. You may choose to make an act of charity in her memory to Santa Cruz Women's Health Center, or Pajaro Valley Shelter of Watsonville, or Walnut Avenue Family and Women's Center.


View the online memorial for Roberta Eileen Barnett