Frieda Barnette

Frieda Mae Barnette

Born March 2, 1931 to Dennie & Louisa Eubanks of Bridgeton, IN. Her family moved to Indianapolis in 1938 where she attended Tech High School and then went onto secretarial college. While working in downtown Indy for an insurance company she met a local trombonist named Dean Barnette.

The connection was instant and they married on February 3, 1951. Over the next 12 years she gave birth to nine children and then all her time was devoted to being a full time mom. In the early 70’s after all her children were in school she took a part-time job as a waitress at an upscale restaurant. One of her customers was so impressed by her hard work ethics and pleasant personality that he convinced her to come and work for him as an executive secretary at the United Steelworkers Union. She stayed there for the next 20 years, retiring in 1994 to take full time care of her husband who had fallen ill.

Dean passed away in 1997 and she has spent the last 25 years as a widow and devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean, daughters Louise Grdinic (Michael) and Loretta Rockel (Daniel). She is survived by daughters Laura Strausburg, Lisa Owen and Lynnelle Agnew and sons Larry, Les, Lowell & Louis Barnette. She is also survived by 17 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 from 11AM-1PM at Flanner Buchanan-Washington Park East, 10722 E Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46229. A funeral service will immediately follow the visitation at 1PM Frieda will be laid to rest in Washington Park East Cemetery.