In Honor of My Mother: Rosemary Price Barnes
&srotate=0)
Reflections from Pam Barnes, HSNT CFO
Featured in the biannual HSNT Impact Brief
My mother, Rosemary Barnes, was many things. She was tender and practical, strong-willed and soft-hearted, deeply kind and quietly rebellious. She didn’t have a middle name, but her maiden name was Price, and in some ways, that word has followed me my entire life, especially as I built my career in finance.
My mom was the youngest of a large Catholic family in upstate New York. She had a twin brother, ten siblings, and stories that only surfaced when her friends shared them at her funeral. Stories about how she was the life of the party, a great dancer, and how you didn’t want to end up on her bad side. She mowed the lawn, bowled competitively, worked in school lunchrooms and banks, and taught me, above all else, to be myself. Even when it was hard. Even when it meant being different. She always said: You choose to be happy. And while I know that doesn’t work for everyone, it works for me.
She supported me through everything, even when I didn’t make it easy. She didn’t get the tea-party daughter she might have expected. Instead she got an overall-wearing, bike-riding, tree-climbing tomboy. And she let me be exactly that. She stood by me when I came out. She stood by me when I messed up. She was always, always there.
Losing her in 2020 was like losing a piece of my own compass. I still have the urge to call her every day. There are so many questions I didn’t get to ask. So many moments I wish I could share.
When I think about the women in our community, especially the ones HSNT serves, I think about how much she would have wanted for them. I want them to know what my mother taught me: that your own happiness matters. That your health is worth protecting. That being here, being whole, is what allows you to care for the people you love.
I try to carry her legacy forward every day. Through the work I do at HSNT. Through the tenacity she instilled in me. Through the belief that I—and the people we serve—are worth fighting for.
My mom didn’t need titles or accolades to know who she was. She gave what she had, kept things simple, and loved without limits. And if there’s one thing I could say to her now, it would be this:
Look at me now, Mom. I’m still fighting. Just like you taught me.
Make a Difference in a Woman's Life
Donate now and help us provide critical healthcare services to uninsured or underinsured women in Texas. Every contribution counts. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of women in our community.