Elizabeth Barrett passed away peacefully at Madonna Towers on August 23, 2015 in Rochester, MN.  Elizabeth Barrett was a longtime Rochester resident and a retired elementary school teacher.  Elizabeth Rose Ellis was born one hundred and three years ago at her family home near Chatfield, MN.  She was the third of seven children born to John and Mary Ellis.

Elizabeth moved to Rochester with her family in 1920.  She graduated from St. John's (girls) High School and later from Winona State with a degree in education.  Mrs. Barrett was an educator, first in a one-room schoolhouse and then in the Rochester Public Schools for 30 years, most of those spent as a second-grade teacher at Bamber Valley Elementary School.

Elizabeth married Neil Barrett at the Catholic Church of the Assumption in Cresco, Iowa on November 21, 1940.  Her husband served in the US Army during World War II and was a letter carrier for the Rochester Postal Office.

Mrs. Barrett was a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church and was involved in its many CCW activities, even into her eighties.  She moved to Madonna Towers in September of 2002 and lived independently until a bad fall in 2009, which brought her to the Skilled Nursing Unit of Madonna Towers.

Survivors include a daughter, Patricia (Shelby Coyle) of Minneapolis, Minnesota; a son, John (Ellen) Barrett of Coral Gables, Florida; seven grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren; one great-great grandson; and a brother Ambrose "Bill" (Angie) Ellis of Reads Landing, Minnesota.  She was preceded in death by her husband Neil Barrett who died in 1984, and by three sisters and two brothers.

Elizabeth will be remembered for her wit, intelligence and kindness and especially for her devotion to her family and the many  children of Olmsted County whom she served.

A Funeral Mass will be held at Madonna Towers Chapel on Friday, August 28, 2015 at 1:00PM with Rev. Donald Schmitz officiating. Burial is at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Sisters of Saint Francis Assis Heights or the Staff Christmas Fund at Madonna Towers.