Irene Barnett, lifelong resident of Sonoma County, dies at 96

For many years some time back, anyone seeking assistance at a Sonoma County government office could hardly do better than to be greeted by clerical worker Irene Barnett.

Born in Kenwood in 1919 and educated at Santa Rosa High School and the former Sweet’s Business College, Barnett was a picture of efficiency, courtesy and diligence. Attorney Jack DeMeo, who opened his practice in Santa Rosa in 1959, remembers her as the amiable court clerk who taught him the intricacies of filing legal papers and introduced him to “the inner sanctum of the courthouse.”

“Irene was just a real classy lady,” DeMeo said. “She was a delight to work with and had a wonderful sense of humor. I really miss that old-time, very warm and direct and helpful approach that she had with all the lawyers and the (county courts) staff and the judges.”

Barnett, who worked for a number of county offices before she became a Superior Court clerk, died Tuesday. She was 96.

The former Irene Trogni lived all her life in Sonoma County. As a child, her large Italian-American family in and around Kenwood included the grandparents who founded the former Pedroncelli’s Hotel and operated a quarry up the hill from town.

She studied at Dunbar School and was 17 when she graduated from Santa Rosa High with the Class of 1937. She continued on to Sweet’s, then began her career with the county.

She worked at the former County Hospital and in various other departments, and was happy to transfer to the county clerk’s office when it was still located within the downtown Santa Rosa courthouse. She retired in 1982.

Barnett was active in a number of clubs and volunteer organizations, among them the Saturday Afternoon Club, the Alpha Zeta Beta philanthropic sorority and the Treasure House, the charitable consignment shop in Santa Rosa.

Sociable and interested in others, she maintained many friendships with people she’d met in school or early in her working years. She had almost daily contact with her daughter, Catherine Barnett of Healdsburg, her son-in-law, Tim Tesconi, and her two grandsons.

“My mother was a gentle person but fierce in her devotion first to me and then to our sons. To the end, her focus was on others, and from her I learned that well-tended relationships can last a long lifetime,” her daughter said.

Irene Barnett had been in failing health but was still living in her home in Santa Rosa’s Town and Country neighborhood when she fell Saturday and broke her hip. She was at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital when she died from complications of the fall.

At her request, there will be no services.