Engracia Navarro Barnes

Engracia Navarro Barnes, 73, of Corona, was called upon by God on October 26, 2023. Grace, as she was affectionately known as, was born in San Agustin, Iba, Zambales in the Philippines to the late Lauro and Eusebia on July 20, 1950. She was the seventh child born out of nine children.

As a child, her favorite pastime was telling stories and playing with her friends. She was always joking around and loved to have fun. Everyone in her family loved how giggly she was, even over little things. Grace graduated from Zambales National High School in 1968. Her favorite subject in school was English. She went to college in Olongapo, Philippines for 2 years before she became pregnant with her first child, Leonardo. She studied education to become a teacher with an emphasis/major in English.

In 1974, she was petitioned by her father to have the opportunity to live/work in the U.S. She lived with the families of almost all of her brothers and sisters before buying a house with her late husband in 1987. Grace started her schooling in the U.S. to become a licensed vocational nurse in Florida and finished her education at a private nursing school in California in 1982. Due to making low wages as a LVN, she made a career change and started working for the Huntington Beach United States Postal Office, first as a mail processing clerk and later on as a front office clerk, from 1984 to 2019. She would meet her future husband, Scott, there. She had a strong work ethic and always had an exuberant smile on her face for her customers. Many of her customers would describe her as sweet, kind, helpful, and always so cheerful.

On September 5, 1987, Grace married the late Vincent Scott Barnes in Las Vegas, NV. They were married for 15 years before Scott’s passing on September 29, 2002. Their years of marriage were some of the happiest years of Grace’s life. They did everything together; they even worked and commuted together! They were always having fun with one another and always held each other's hands. They had one daughter together, Kristina Grace, in 1989.

As an adult, Grace enjoyed cooking and making sure her loved ones were well-fed. She was welcoming to anyone who walked into her home and made sure they were taken care of. A question she’d always ask when greeting someone was if they had eaten yet. Two of her most memorable dishes included her infamous Korean BBQ ribs and her chicken adobo. Food was her love language and was how she expressed her love to everyone.

Grace was known for her upbeat attitude, cheerful smile, and contagious laughter. She would always joke around with everyone and loved to make people laugh. If she ever heard music she wanted to dance to, she always got up to dance and didn’t care who was watching! She enjoyed going to Las Vegas and to the casinos with her brothers and sisters. Some of her most enjoyable moments were playing with and doting on her two grandchildren, Malea and Jett.

Grace was loved immensely by her family and friends. She is survived by her two children, Leonardo and Kristina; her two (soon-to-be three) grandchildren, Malea, Jett, and (soon) Finn; her six siblings, Angelita of San Agustin, Iba, Zambales, Jose of San Diego, Adoracion of San Diego, Isidro of Cerritos, Bernabe of Cerritos, and Linda of Corona; her two stepsons, Ronald and Kevin and their families; and also a myriad of nieces and nephews.