Willie White Barnes

   Willie White Kitts Barnes, 88, of Lembla Street, Norfolk, VA, a native of Gates County, NC, and a dedicated, retired nurse left her earthly home on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.      A 1950 graduate of the Norfolk General Hospital School of Nursing, she remained at the hospital as the only night duty nurse in the Emergency Room. After being head nurse on a nursing unit for a short time, her husband’s job with the State Health Department carried them to Farmville, VA where she worked at Southside Community Hospital, and it was during this time that their daughter was born. After being a public health nurse, they moved back to Norfolk where she became head nurse and supervisor at Norfolk General Hospital. When their School of Practical Nursing was being approved, she was employed by Norfolk City Schools to teach vocational education so she could become their first Instructor. She also taught Practical Nursing at Leigh Memorial Hospital and Norfolk Technical Vocational Center, totaling 26 years. During this time her first husband, Roy Byron “Barney” Kitts, of Norfolk, passed away.      After retirement, she enjoyed 23 years as a farmer’s wife to her second husband, James Walter “Jimmie” Barnes of Sunbury, NC. While in Sunbury she was a faithful member of Philadelphia United Methodist Church, serving at various times as its treasurer, chair of the Administrative Council, and as teacher of the Adult Bible Class. To always serve by helping others, she was a proud volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program, and was instrumental in starting the Gates County Emergency Ministries, (GEMS), to assist families needing food and financial assistance in emergencies. Throughout the community, she was frequently seen assisting friends with home care and in times of need. Three years after becoming widowed the second time, and at age 79, she relocated back to Norfolk to be near her daughter. There she became an active member of Christ United Methodist Church, its Adult Bible Class, the United Methodist Women, and the Young At Heart Group.      In addition to her parents, William Lloyd White and Mildred Rountree White, and her husbands, Barney and Jimmie, she was preceded in death by her brother, Harvey Ray White of Suffolk, VA, and by her sister, Betty Lou White Worrell (Bobby), of Hiddenite, NC.      Surviving are her daughter, Paige Kitts Johnson and her longtime companion, Curtis Eley, of Norfolk; her sister-in-law, Betty Gayle White of Suffolk; and several nieces, nephews, and extended family members.      Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of Miller Funeral Home, 304 Main Street, Gatesville, NC. The burial will follow in Damascus Christian Church Cemetery in Sunbury. Friends may join the family in the funeral home the hour prior to services.      Memorial contributions may be made to Christ United Methodist Church, 1601 E. Bayview Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23503, or to Philadelphia United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 148, Sunbury, NC 27979.      Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.