Genevieve Willson Barnhart

Genevieve Willson Barnhart Born: December 15, 1922 Hollister, CA  ~  Passed on: May 4, 2025 in Sebastopol, CA. "A tiny bundle of kindness" The 20th century life of Gen Barnhart is filled with accomplishments, skills, hard work, travels, and especially good friends. Her family consisted of her father, Alvin Grant Willson, a barber born in 1864; her mother Lucinda Jane Bartholomew, a milliner born in 1887; and her brother, Bud, a writer and poet born in 1925. Beginning at an early age, she enjoyed horse riding, tooling leather, and engraving silver; in 1943, she joined the WAVES (branch of the naval reserves, Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service), serving as an aircraft instrument repair mechanic, later promoted to Machinist Mate Petty Officer First Class. After the war, she attended Dominican College, in San Rafael, CA, working in ceramics and graduating with a BA in Art. Gen then taught art in junior high school. Later in the 60s she built her home darkroom where she spent many enjoyable years developing and printing her own photographs. Her series of black-and-white photographs of Sonoma County artists were taken with her favorite Rolleiflex which she donated to the Sonoma County Museum. In the 1940s & 1950s, at the CA College of Arts & Crafts, Oakland, she discovered the lost-wax process for casting rings and other works, but more importantly her bronze sculptures. Gen, always a very independent woman, traveled alone throughout Europe in a 1936 Chevy. She worked in Mexico City on sculpture. Her experience in Mexico revived her interest in her distinguished Californiano heritage; recently Gen proudly discovered she is part Ohlone from California's Central Coast. During her lifetime she mentored many artists, beginning with her college teaching experience at Mt. Angel College, OR. Gen had many exhibitions. She continued through the years buying art from local Sonoma artists in recognition of their excellent quality and to show her support. She married Raymond Barnhart, an art professor at the University of Kentucky in 1965. For the remainder of her long and successful life, they lived in Sebastopol, making art, visiting all the art openings, traveling across the US, Spain and Mexico in a 1963 VW bus, and supporting their many friends. Their home in an orchard was filled with art in all media; they also built 2 studios and a metalsmithing workshop to contain all their equipment and art. Not incidentally, Gen and Raymond grew and ate most of their vegetables. Raymond died in Oregon in head-on collision in 1996. She is survived by her grand-nephews, Chris Gray and Dana (Julia) Gray, her step-daughter, Julia Barnhart Geist (Richard) and friends, too many to count. Her best friend, Khysie Horn, was a loving dependable friend whom Gen called "Little Sister," through many years, helping her through beautiful and sad times. The family also thanks her patient caregivers, Vina and Mele. All Gen's friends will fondly remember her not only for her thoughtfulness and kindness, but especially for her many stories. Her Funeral Mass will be held on July 12, 11 a.m. at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church,3730 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, CA 95465, followed by a memorial reception in the church hall.