Obituary Details

Ann Catherine Barrett

(01/11/1951 - 06/26/2020)
Courtesy of The Lusk Herald, 07/08/2020

Ann Catherine Barrett, 69, of Carlsbad, died June 26, 2020, at her home, surrounded by her family.

Ann was born Jan. 11, 1951, in Lusk, to James E. and Carmel Ann Barrett. James was the son of Frank A. Barrett, former United States Congressman, Senator, and Governor of Wyoming. Carmel Ann was descended from Don Ygnacio Martinez, Commander of the Presidio of San Francisco and third mayor of San Francisco.

Ann grew up in Lusk with her mother, father and two brothers, Richard and John. She had many friends in Lusk who remember her for her sense of humor, her laugh, and her love of singing.

Ann moved to Cheyenne in 1967 with her family when her father Jim served as Wyoming Attorney General under Governor Stanley K. Hathaway.

Ann loved all art forms, including live performance and music, especially singing. Her voice delighted those in Lusk when she played the part of Maria in Lusk High School’s production of Sound of Music. She brought that love and talent with her to Cheyenne, where she sang in Central High School’s choir, and small select groups. When she was a senior, she was selected to the All Northwest Choir. Also as a senior she was a varsity cheerleader at Central.

Ann graduated from Central High School in 1969. She attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., as a music performance major, and then the University of Northern Colorado, in Greeley, Colo., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 1973.

She met John Sandahl in Cheyenne in 1968 at the end of her junior year of high school. John saw and listened to her sing at the Honor Society banquet and fell in love with her on the spot. Ann and John were married Sept. 11, 1971, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Cheyenne. They finished their schooling together and made homes in Cheyenne; Greeley; Fort Collins, Colo.; Longmont, Colo.; New York City; and finally, in Carlsbad, from 1987 to the present.

Prior to moving to California most of their time was spent in Cheyenne where Ann raised two beautiful, talented children, sang in many choirs, taught private voice lessons, and performed in numerous musicals, including My Fair Lady and Annie with her daughter Elizabeth in the title role.

In Carlsbad, Ann continued to sing and perform, and was employed as a music educator by several school districts throughout the years. She was an accomplished vocalist who continued performing in musicals, including Into the Woods and Sound of Music.

Ann’s children Elizabeth and Thomas graduated from Carlsbad High School and both went to the University of Wyoming. Elizabeth is now a registered nurse working in labor and delivery in Carlsbad; and Thomas is a professional musician and music teacher in Portland, Ore. Her grandson Brayden Sandahl is a third-year architecture student in San Diego. Her granddaughter Julianna Sandahl will be an 8th grader in Portland .

Ann attended St. Patrick’s church in Carlsbad.

Ann is survived by her husband John Sandahl, and daughter Elizabeth Sandahl of Carlsbad; her son Thomas Sandahl of Portland; her brothers Richard and John Barrett of Cheyenne; her grandson Brayden Sandahl of Carlsbad; her granddaughter Julianna Sandahl and daughter-in-law Kirsten Sandahl of Portland; her mother-in-law Joyce Sandahl of Las Vegas; her sister-in law Joan Betshowa of Pahrump, Nev., and nieces Kristin Cordova and Chelsea Nordick, and nephews Joshua and Michael Nordick, all of the Denver area; her sister-in-law Rosemary Barrett and nieces Caitilin Barrett and Kelly Alexander, all of Cheyenne; her aunts Marialyce Tobin of Casper, and Jacqueline Ferrall of Cheyenne; as well as many cousins and other close relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, the Honorable James E. Barrett of the 10th U.S Court of Appeals, and Carmel Ann Barrett; and father-in-law Willard Sandahl.

A prayer service will be held at 11 a.m., July 15, 2020, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Carlsbad. The Funeral Liturgy will be at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Lusk at a future date due to the pandemic. Ann’s cremains will be interred at the Lusk Cemetery.

For anyone considering sending flowers or other gestures in honor of Ann, please donate to the Ann C. Barrett Memorial Music Scholarship Fund. Please contact Jenny Hester at Lusk State Bank at 307-334-2500 to donate.

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Related/Linked Records

Record Type Name
Birth Record Barrett, Ann (01/11/1951) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Carmel (05/31/1923 - 01/04/2011) View Record
Obituary Barrett, James (04/08/1922 - 11/07/2011) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Boy (11/29/1953) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Girl (01/01/1924) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, John (08/31/1954) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Lawrence (09/07/1946) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Boy (05/08/1950) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Alyce (01/31/1956) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Ann (10/05/1947) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Mary (05/27/1959) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Patrick (11/30/1856 - 11/03/1939) View Record
Obituary Martinez, John (11/30/-0001 - 12/23/1953) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Nila (11/02/1937 - 05/15/2009) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Augusta (08/03/1906 - 01/16/1986) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Frank (11/10/1892 - 05/30/1962) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Francis (06/29/1920 - 09/29/1998) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Alice (02/04/1897 - 02/17/1956) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Joseph (11/11/1954) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Richard (07/15/1952) View Record
Birth Record Barrett, Eileen (02/02/1939) View Record
Obituary Barrett, Harriett (07/21/1922 - 01/18/1992) View Record