Marian Barrett may not have served her country in uniform, but she did serve her country by treating wounded soldiers coming back from the Korean War. On June 25, 2025, Marian was laid to rest with her husband of more than 40 years, Lt. Col. James “Jim” Barrett, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who died in 2008.
Barrett grew up near Petersburg, Virginia, during World War II, when food and gasoline were rationed. According to her sister, Loretta Seamands, their parents would invite soldiers from nearby Camp Lee (now Fort Lee) for Sunday dinners.
Barrett graduated from the Medical College of Virginia (part of today’s Virginia Commonwealth University) and worked as a physical therapist—first with polio patients and then with Korean War veterans. “She was very popular with those Korean War patients,” her daughter, Lee Anne Fisher, recalled. She remembered discovering small figurines and other objects that her mother’s patients had made as thank-you gifts. “She really had a big impact on many of their lives,” she said.
Marian Barrett, center
The Barretts married in 1966. Lee Anne remembered her parents as a loving couple who went everywhere together and threw parties for their neighbors, including an annual Christmas party. “And, of course, she would hear a lot of stories from [Jim], over and over again, about World War II,” she said.
Barrett continued to work until Lee Anne was born. She then volunteered at Lee Anne’s school and with the Girl Scouts. “She was very involved in all those activities,” Lee Anne said, “and she was a good cook who loved to make meals.”
Lee Anne also remembered growing up in a patriotic household. The colors red, white and blue pervaded her family’s house, and her bedtime routine included her father playing military marching songs on a record player. After her father passed away, Lee Anne took her mother to Arlington National Cemetery to visit him in Section 60.
On June 25, 2025, Barrett’s family gathered together at the cemetery for her funeral service. Afterward, Lee Anne reflected on her mother’s life and service to the nation. “It’s more than just being buried with my father,” she said. “My mother gave so much to our veterans from the Korean War; it's appropriate she's buried here.” Then she smiled and added, “It’s just wonderful to be able to honor her today.”
