1931
Cynthia
2008
Cynthia Kerns
March 1, 1931 — November 14, 2008
Cynthia “Jo” Kerns, 77, of Reinbeck, Iowa, died Friday, November 14, 2008, at Manor Care Health Service in Waterloo, Iowa. Following cremation, Mass will be 11:00 A.M., Monday, November 17, 2008, at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Reinbeck, with Father Dennis Quint officiating. Visitation will be Sunday, November 16, 2008, from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M., with a 6:00 P.M. Scriptural Wake Service at French Hand Funeral Home in Reinbeck. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church.
Cynthia Joan (Barrier) Kerns was born on May 1, 1931, in Crossnore, North Carolina, the daughter of Lloyd Grady and Tuppy Ann (Weatherman) Barrier. Upon graduating from high school, Jo furthered her education by attending Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, where she received her degree as a Registered Dietician. Jo then fulfilled her year’s internship in North Carolina. On June 6, 1954, she was united in marriage to Dean Kerns in Charlotte, North Carolina. In September of that same year, the couple moved to Oelwein, Iowa for a short time before they made their home in Cedar Falls. Jo worked as a Registered Dietician at Sartori Memorial Hospital in Cedar Falls, and then at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo, where she retired in 1993. In 1998, they moved to Reinbeck to make their home.
Jo was a member of Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Reinbeck. She was a wonderful cook and she enjoyed canning the vegetables from her garden every summer. Jo’s family was the center of her life.
She is survived by her husband, Dean Kerns of Reinbeck, Iowa; daughter Cynthia Cain and her husband Mike of Selmer, Tennessee; daughter, Denise Schares and her husband Wayne of La Porte City, Iowa; son, Joseph Kerns and his wife Karen of Ames, Iowa; daughter, Susan Petersen and her husband Bart of Reinbeck, Iowa; son-in-law, Bryce Seegers of Denver, Iowa, thirteen grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; three sisters, Marguerite Cooper of Memphis, Tennessee; Elizabeth Smith of Charlotte, North Carolina; Katelee Woodie and her husband Howard of Charlotte, North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one daughter Debra Seegers; and two brothers, Lloyd Barrier Jr., and William Barrier.
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