Carmen Barnes Lindquist

1930 ~ 2021

Obituary Photo for Carmen Barnes Lindquist < >

Service:

Feb. 9, 2021
11:00 AM
1950 East Dimple Dell Road, Sandy, Utah 84092

In her 1964 family Christmas letter, Carmie’s love and pride for each member of her family, particularly her three beloved children, overflowed from the descriptions she penned. The following synopsis she included of herself reveals her love for her family and her love of the outdoors, two themes that were manifest throughout her life.

“Carmen keeps plenty busy being secretary, mother, wife;
Keeping up with her family leads her a merry life.
She loves to hunt, fish, ski, and watch her men play ball;
Being a pal to her family is the very best of all.”

Dark haired, brown eyed Carmen Barnes was born August 5, 1930 to Morris Eldon Barnes and Gladys Thelma Manzer. She was the youngest of two girls. She and her older sister Rosalyn grewup in Sandy, Utah, where for many years their dad owned a store across the street from Jordan High School. Carmie loved her time helping in her dad’s store, from eating her fill of candy to helping count World War II rationing stamps. During those years Eldon loved interacting with the high school kids who came through his store, even hiding them from the truant officer on occasion. Since he couldn’t remember all the students’ names, he simply called each of them “Hyrum,” to the students’ delight. Returning the favor, the students dubbed him “Hyrum,” Gladys “Mrs. Hyrum,” Rosalyn “Big Hyrum,” and Carmie “Little Hyrum.” When Carmie was in high school, she enjoyed debate, playing the saxophone, and associating with friends.

Carmen married Ray Lindquist in the Salt Lake Temple and they had three beautiful children: Wendy, Kim, and Caray. The kids grew up on ski slopes, mountains, and baseball diamonds. Carmie loved watching her sons play baseball and always used perfectly sharpened pencils when she kept stats for their teams. In 1952 Carmen and Ray built a home on “our little piece of heaven on earth” in Granite, Utah. She and Ray built the house using hand tools as there was no power to the area at the time. It was several years before they had a phone, at which time they shared the line with seven other families. Carmen reminisced that “at that time Granite was wide open and our kids roamed the area like three little mountain goats.” She said, “our memories of the years (25 of them) spent here will remain in our hearts always.”

Carmie found great joy and beauty in the outdoors. Whether in the mountains of Utah, Wyoming, or Idaho or the red rock country in southern Utah, Carmie loved hiking, camping, and fishing. She couldn’t get enough sun and warmth and she enjoyed gathering wood and rocks and making beautiful lamps and jewelry from them. She loved animals, particularly dogs, and had many faithful, four-footed companions over the years.

Carmie loved little children and little children loved her. She knew just how to connect with them. Even parents unrelated to her considered her a grandma to their kids and she caused more than one case of “grandma envy.” As grandkids, it was always a treat to visit Carmie. We loved playing with her cabbage patch dolls, her Spanish dancer dolls, and doing fashion shows in her many shoes. And it was sheer excitement when she came to visit. We loved that she always brought a big suitcase full of candy and gum that long-past expiration dates couldn’t spoil. But more than that, we loved that she would spend quality, focused time with us, playing with us, tickling our backs with her long nails or peacock feathers, innocently eating things off our fingers when offered (😉), listening to us, giving us special nicknames, and attending all of our events. Carmie didn’t miss anything her kids or grandkids did. She attended long wrestling tournaments, school musicals, dance performances, mission farewells and homecomings, and she loved helping with new babies. Her regularly-kept journals are full of her involvement with her family. She found great joy and delight in caring for and showing affection to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

When her oldest son Kim was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, their family was chosen as the subject for a news documentary, highlighting the activities and faith of the family and the missionary service of Kim in the New York City area. Carmie likes to tell the story of the opportunity she had, following the shooting, to express her love for motherhood to a career journalist involved in the project who was skeptical and critical of her choice to give her life to her family. Carmie testified that given the choice of being a mother or not being a mother, “there wouldn’t have been a moment of hesitation. I would choose my role hands down and felt I got the best deal.”

Carmie loved wearing jewelry, including big, dangly earrings, and rings on her pretty hands. She was a free spirit who hated wearing shoes and being confined. She loved turquoise, southwest décor, the color red, General Conference, old movies, and floor-to-ceiling trinkets. She was fun-loving, always quick with a joke or quip, didn’t shy away from adventure, and had a gregarious personality. We are all so grateful for the pleasant memories we have of Carmie in our lives.

Carmie was preceded in death by her son Caray, her husband Ray, and her parents Eldon and Gladys. A graveside service will be held for Carmen at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Rd. (10600 South), Sandy, Utah.

A link to this obituary with the pictures throughout the obituary may be found in the "view program" link at the top of this obituary.


Guestbook/Condolences

This was my great Grandmother and my best friend. I loved Carmie with all my heart. For Abuelo and Abuela, I Cried myself to sleep when I heard Carmie had died. As For Caray his mother was buried in the same plot as him. I love you Carmie.


- Caitlyn Lindquist