Obituaries

Margaret H. Barnett, age 95, died peacefully in Maryville, TN, on October 19, 2025, with her two daughters by her side. Born on December 15, 1929, in Knoxville, TN to Ralph Roosevelt Huffaker and Floy Duggan Huffaker, Margaret lived a life defined by determination and service. After being burnt as an infant, she underwent over twenty surgeries before her twentieth birthday. Her life-long love of piano started as physical therapy to help her hands recover post-surgery. Despite her early resilience, she was told at a young age that she would have to work out of sight somewhere, due to the scarring from her burns. Margaret didn’t listen. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she worked every front-facing job she could find, from a department store to an airline, and even a few federal agencies in Washington, D.C. (Department of the Army, FHA and NIH). But most know “Mrs. Barnett” as their favorite elementary school teacher, who gave her all to the children she taught. She spent most of her teaching career at Rockford Elementary School in Blount County. Decades later, students would recognize her in public and rush to tell her how much she meant to them. Though she was the last person to speak highly of herself, her service as a teacher set the standard for what it means to lead a life well-lived. Nothing, however, compared to Margaret’s devotion to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandson. She loved her daughters, Sharon and Julie, more than anything. More than chocolate, even—and for Margaret, that’s saying something. She told anyone who would listen about their latest accomplishments. She had a true gift for gab, making new friends wherever she went. Her love didn’t end with her daughters. Throughout her extended family, Margaret was the glue tying together the branches of the family tree. She always had news of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, cousins and nieces and aunts and uncles and family friends. She remembered every detail of each person’s lives, spreading updates to family and friends faster than a newspaper. Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Ronald (Mary Ann) Huffaker, her grandson, Noah (Kandice) Horton, along with countless others who helped shape the woman she became. She is survived by her daughters, Sharon Barnett and Julie (Mike) Graham, her grandchildren, Gabe (Nancy) Horton, Devon (Bryson) Keith, Jordan (José) Cuevas, Matthew (Sophia) Graham-Cardone, her great-grandson, Draven Kyle-Horton, along with too many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins to name. She was a member of Beaver Ridge United Methodist Church. Margaret always remembered how she grew up alongside Princess Margaret, born the following year. While the princess’s name will be written in history books, the royal Margaret could only hope to live a life half as worthwhile, as rich with love, and as simply beloved as her less famous—but equally deserving of remembrance—American counterpart.