Fernande (Fern) Blouin Barnes, 86, of Montpelier, died on October 22, 2010 at the Central Vermont Medical Center with her three daughters at her bedside. She was born in Websterville on May 12, 1924, the daughter of Elina (Crete) and Alvida Blouin. She attended East Cabot schools and graduated from St. Michaels High School in 1943. On June 15, 1946 she married Thomas G. Barnes in Montpelier and they resided and raised their family in Middlesex. She was predeceased by her husband in 1971 and later moved to Independence Green in Montpelier, where she resided for 27 years. During the past three and a half years she lived at Heaton Woods in Montpelier. Fern worked for the State of Vermont at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Adoption Agency, and the Department of Corrections. She was an administrative assistant for a number of Commissioners, including Con Hogan and Kent Stoneman. She retired in 1986 after approximately 35 years. After her retirement from the State of Vermont, she was an active volunteer in the RSVP program and worked in the Governor's office for several years. Fern was a member of the Catholic Daughters and Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW. She was also a skilled painter, and has left a legacy of beautiful paintings for her family and friends. Knitting and sewing were also crafts she loved. In addition to her husband, Fern was predeceased by her infant son, Thomas Jerome, her sisters Lorraine Blouin, Denise Dufresne , Rita Laperle, and by her brother Marcel Blouin. She leaves behind three daughters: Nancy Morse of Weymouth, MA and her husband Robert, Sally Benvenuti of Barre Town and her husband David, and Susan Carey of Calais and her husband Conrad; five grandchildren: Tommy Morse of Weymouth, MA and his wife Betsy, Paul Morse of East Weymouth, MA, Brian Benvenuti of Albany, NY and his fiancé Kate Thomas, Amy Benvenuti of Brookline, MA, and Chris Carey of Calais and his girlfriend Ashley Hopkins; three great-grandchildren from Weymouth, MA: Jackson, Gabrielle, and Avery Morse. She also leaves behind her siblings: Pauline Redmond of Montpelier and Roger Blouin of Barre Town and his wife Joyce, as well as many loving nieces and nephews, Heaton Woods caretakers, friends and neighbors. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 11:00am at St. Augustine's Church, 16 Barre Street in Montpelier. There are no calling hours. Burial will be in the Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier. Memorial contributions may be made to Heaton Woods c/o Peggy Roque, 10 Heaton Street, Montpelier.