Kristen Ann Barron

Kristen Ann Barron passed peacefully from this world to her next adventure on Saturday, October 22, 2016 in her home of 35 years surrounded by her loving family.

Kris was born June 13, 1947 in Rochester, New York to Nelson and Ruth Kramer. Kris graduated from Saint Bonaventure University in the Spring of 1969, where she was a proud member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). She celebrated by skipping her graduation, boarding a bus, and crying all the way from upstate New York to Denver, Colorado. She had chosen to become a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) to change the world, and to do so she left behind her friends and all that was familiar. VISTA deposited Kris in rural Dubuque County, Iowa – a state she was not sure had existed prior to arrival – where she found her voice organizing low-income senior citizens to win their own community center. After completing her VISTA service she moved to Des Moines and became a social worker, dedicating her advocacy to underprivileged children.

She met her true love, Xavier Barron, while working for the Department of Human Services with children and women living in the shadows of life. She and Xavier had two children and Kris left the professional world when her daughter was born. She was a peerless mother who raised her two children to be thoughtful, service-oriented people.

Though she “stayed home” to raise her children, Kris continued working for others. She volunteered at her children’s school, particularly working with a lovely young woman named Shamar, with whom she grew very close. At that time, she began her twenty-plus years of service as a court appointed advocate for children through the CASA program. She also served on the State Foster Care Review Board and the board of the Convalescent Home for Children (now ChildServe). In 2005, she was honored by the American Red Cross as a Hero of the Heartland for her decades of service to children.

As her children grew up, Kris began a second career with the West Des Moines Library. She was a cheerful and trusted presence for visitors to the library for over twenty years. She took it upon herself to breathe life into a moribund homebound delivery program. She grew the program to serve many community members who could not travel to the library, but still had a thirst for books.

Kris was an avid reader who loved Shakespeare, John Irving, and Harry Potter. She was the Editor-in-Chief for the Barron family and never gave up that role, even as her family’s writing changed from book reports to newspaper columns. She loved music, from favorite classical composer Leonard Bernstein to the Beatles, and in retirement she and Xavier traveled to attend concerts together.

Kris is survived by her husband of forty-two years, Xavier; her daughter Annie Rebecca (John Laverty) and son Robert Xavier (Angela Matsuoka); her grandchildren, Abigail Maya Laverty and Connor James Laverty, and Javy Matthew Barron. She leaves behind a deep web of friendships and family bonds, notably her niece, Ashley Barron, who was with her to the end, and her beloved dog, Cricket. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Karen, and her beloved aunt Connie.

Her family extends its heartfelt appreciation to the kind and exemplary staff at Iowa Methodist Hospital’s Powell 5, especially the nurses and aides that we trusted to care for her when she was at her most vulnerable.

There will be a celebration of her life on Friday, October 28 at 12:00 p.m. at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines with visitation the evening prior from 6 to 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donation in her name to the Holy Family Inner-City Youth Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, 1915 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50309 to fund scholarships at Holy Family School, a program she felt strongly about. If you are unable to make a financial contribution, but wish to give some of your time in Kris’ honor, please reach out to the West Des Moines Library to inquire about volunteering for the Homebound Delivery Program, or suggest someone who might benefit from it.

Kris came to Iowa in 1969 uncertain and alone, but determined to devote her talent and compassion to service for others. She accomplished that vision in the life she lived. The good work of Kristen Ann Barron lives on in the lives of those she knew and loved. She taught all who knew her that the relationships we build and the investments we make in one another are the greatest gifts we give to the world.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

Print