MHS Class of 1964

Calling all MHS Class of 1964 classmates. This is your dedicated page on the MHS All-Class Committee website. Do you have a favorite picture, a class update or a story to tell? Send it to us here at: allclassmhs@gmail.com and we will post it on this page. The following story about classmate Carol Ann Barnes, yearbook picture at right, was submitted by Steve Varga, who noted that the story was originally posted online on October 20, 2022, published in The Desert Sun.

In memory of Carol Ann Barnes - MHS Class of 1964

Carol was born as Carol Ann Barnes on June 27th, 1946 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She spent the first ten years of her life in Bridgeport being raised by her mother, Elizabeth Jane (Terwilliger) Barnes and her step-father, Donald Olstram Blomberg. The family grew as Carol became the big sister to three brothers, Henry, Donald and Michael.

They moved to Milford, CT, and Carol graduated from Milford High School in 1964. She married Raymond Brenner that year and in 1968 they divorced and Carol moved to Woodbridge, CT. She went to work for TIMEX as a machine line operator.

Carol would meet Francis Reignier, a fellow TIMEX employee. In 1973 they married and relocated to Waterbury. Even while working fulltime, Carol took time to go to college part time. She graduated from Post University, Waterbury, in 1985, first earning an AS, then later, in 1990 a BS Accounting.

In 1995 she graduated from the University of New Haven with an MBA in International Business. Carol worked her way up through the company and by 1971 she was a Clerk in the Production Control Department, supporting the Manager of worldwide affairs.

TIMEX had facilities in about 30 countries. In 1983 Carol started traveling the World for TIMEX. Spending time in The Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Germany, France, Portugal, England, Scotland, St Croix U.S. V.I., Mexico, Canada, and on the mainland in Little Rock, Arkansas and Cupertino, CA.

Note: Carol was there during a San Francisco 49ers Superbowl game and has a hat to prove it.

Carol earned several promotions and in 1985 was promoted to Manager, Customs Compliance. In 2006 Carol received an advancement to Director, Customs and Transportation. She retired in 2009 after a 41-year career with TIMEX, the company with the slogan “It takes a licking, and keeps on ticking”.

Asked upon retirement if she had any special memories regarding her time with TIMEX, she replied “Yes, many!

Especially the Awards. But the time in Cebu, Philippines, when a soldier had his rifle aimed at her while guarding First Lady Imelda Marcos, was the topper of them all.”

Francis Reignier had passed away in 2008, and that following year Carol had downsized in preparation of retirement. She had often visited her Aunt Wilma (Jackiewicz) in the Coachella Valley of Southern California, and knew that’s where she wanted to retire.

In 2009 she began a new chapter of life in Sun City Palm Desert, and in 2011, she met Geoff Hill. Geoff was a snowbird from Bend, Oregon, dividing his time between north and south. Carol was instrumental in helping Geoff close his publishing business of 42 years, getting de-cluttered, and remodeling his house to ready it for market.

It took three summers.

hey married in January of 2014, and made Sun City their fulltime home, enjoying all the activities and amenities the resort community offered while establishing their new home.

Carol gained many new friends as she became very active in several clubs. She served several years as Treasurer of the Boomers and Friends Club (where she met Geoff, who was last to board a party bus, and took the only remaining seat, next to Carol). Funny how fate works sometimes.

However, Carol was diagnosed with emphysema in 2015, and a bout with pneumonia in Spring of 2016 sent her home with COPD requiring 24/7 oxygen. She battled the disease, as well as diabetes, and other ailments over her final years, twice recovering from near death experiences.

Carol was like that TIMEX . . . “she took a licking but kept on ticking” . . . until it was time. Geoff said his final goodbye to a comatose Carol at a home care facility and within seconds she took her last breath.