Evelyn Hurst Barnett

Evelyn Hurst Barnett, age 80, passed from this earth into the arms of her Savior on March 30, 2018. She is survived by her husband, Jimmy Walker Barnett, her daughter, Debra Barnett, of Mauldin, SC, her son, Keith Barnett, of Cleveland, SC, and her beloved granddaughters, Paige Barnett and Madison Barnett, both of Greenville, SC. She was predeceased by her daughter, Cynthia Barnett. She was the daughter of the late Frank Dover Hurst and Carrie Shepard Hurst and is survived by her siblings, John Dale Hurst, Betsey Hurst Barber, Jerry Hurst, Donald Hurst, and Judith Hurst Woodham. She was predeceased by a brother, David Eugene Hurst.

Evelyn was an immensely gifted woman and was legendary among her family, neighbors, and friends for her amazing memory for names and faces, as well as an intelligence that can best be described as “a walking encyclopedia.” Additionally, she believed one could never have too many books (or too many knick-knacks from the local thrift shops). Her far-ranging interests included American politics (faithful to the Republican Party but a friend to all), American history, cooking, gardening, nature, and genealogy, among others. She loved living out in the country and was most content feeding her hummingbirds, tending to her flowers, making her delicious fudge, or looking for arrowheads in a freshly plowed field.

For all her intellect and interests, however, she possessed an endearing humility and kindness and a genuine interest in every person she knew or met. She had a Christ-like true love for people, was attentive and gentle in her interactions with them, and was never too busy to offer a hug, a shoulder to cry on, or words of encouragement.

She was a faithful wife to her husband, an eternally loving and patient mother to her children, and a devoted and adoring grandmother to her two grandchildren, Paige and Madison. Upon their birth, she declared, “I was born to be a grandmother,” and she cherished every moment she spent with them. To those who knew her the longest—her family, her “Talley Valley neighbors” and her Gap Creek Baptist Church family—she was simply an amazing woman who will be remembered with love and admiration. We praise God for the life of this woman we were privileged to know and love, and we rest in the knowledge that we will see her again one day when we, too, enter the gates of our Savior’s home.

A memorial of Evelyn’s life will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at Gap Creek Baptist Church, Marietta, SC. The family will gather with friends from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM at the church.

The family would like to express our deepest appreciation to the staff at the McCall Hospice House in Simpsonville, SC, who were unfailingly kind and loving in all their interactions with both Evelyn and her family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the McCall Hospice House or Gap Creek Baptist Church.