Louise Elizabeth Wingfield Barnard of Southampton died on August 26 at Southampton Hospital after a short illness. She was 77.
Born in Southampton on May 19, 1931, to Waverly and Ann Wingfield, she attended Southampton Public Schools and was a graduate of the class of 1950.
Survivors recalled this week that she grew up under the watchful eye of her parents and was always a pleasant and happy person. Her sense of humor and wit were a trademark of her lifestyle, they added; she was always comical and did little things to make people laugh.
After graduation from high school, she went to work for Bulova Watch Factory in Sag Harbor. She later worked at Sears & Roebuck and finally T. J. Maxx, both in Brideghampton, where she made many friends.
She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Southampton and began playing the piano at the church when she was 13, continuing to do so for 64 years. Dedicated to her job as musician at the church, she rarely missed a Sunday service or a rehearsal. She was known by pastors at most eastern Long Island churches because she would often fill in with a solo or for an absent organist. Her heart was broken when she had to stop playing because of her failing health.
Predeceased by her husband, Willie W. Barnard, and most of her siblings, she is survived by a son, Carlos Bernard of Southampton; two sisters, Roxanne Dozier and her husband Joseph Dozier of Southampton, Florence Brown and her husband Elder Robert L. Brown of Bay Shore; a brother, William H. Wingfield of Pennsylvania; and a sister-in-law, Estelle Wingfield of Florida. She is also survived by two godchildren, Lisa James of Riverhead and Michael Dozier of Georgia; 16 nieces and nephews; and a host of relatives and friends, among them a best friend, Connie Finney.
The family received visitors on September 1 at the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton. A funeral service, officiated by the Reverend Albert L. Brown, was held on September 2 at Brockett’s; interment followed at Calverton National Cemetery.