Hazel Marie Barnes

Hazel M. Barnes the daughter of the late Ernest Wiggins and Carrie Wiggins was born July 7, 1953 in Nansemond County, Virginia; she departed this life on February 1, 2026. Hazel lived a life marked not by noise or spectacle, but by steadiness, presence, and the quiet impact of showing up—again and again—for the people and moments that mattered. Hazel belonged to a generation that understood responsibility early and carried it with grace. She met life as it came, adapting, enduring, and growing wiser with time. Those who knew her will remember a woman of depth and substance—someone whose strength did not require announcement, whose care was offered without condition, and whose values were reflected in how she lived rather than how she spoke. She moved through the years with a sense of purpose shaped by experience. Hazel knew joy, disappointment, love, and loss, and she carried each with dignity. She understood the importance of routine and ritual, of doing ordinary things well, and of finding meaning in the everyday. Her life was built not on grand gestures, but on consistency, loyalty, and the kind of love that lasts. Hazel’s presence was grounding. She was someone others could rely on—thoughtful, attentive, and real. She listened more than she spoke, and when she spoke, her words carried weight. Her memory lives on in shared stories, familiar habits, lessons passed down quietly, and in the lasting imprint she left on those fortunate enough to know her. Though she is no longer physically present, Hazel’s life continues in the ways she shaped others—in the standards she set, the care she gave, and the love she offered in her own steady way. She will be remembered, she will be missed, and she will not be forgotten. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, MSG Edward “Joe” Barnes, Jr. Precious Memories are cherished by her two children, Pamela Barnes of Rocky Mount, NC and Edward J. Barnes of Newport New, VA; two grandsons, Kerry Barnes (Maria) of Tarboro70, NC and Daveon Lucas of Tarboro, NC; three great-grandchildren, Akira Barnes of Tarboro, NC, Kerry Barnes Jr. of Tarboro, NC, Londyn Lucas of Tarboro, NC; three sisters, Ernestine Hines (Sam) of Rocky Mount, NC, Betty Anderson of Rocky Mount, NC, Bertha Dunbar of Paterson, NJ and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

Hazel Marie Barnes

July 7, 1953 - February 1, 2026