Evelyn B. Brightwell

Mary Evelyn "Puzz" Barnes Brightwell of Daisy, Maryland, passed away peacefully at her home at age 97.

Born May 26, 1926 in Sykesville, she was the daughter of Edward Barnes and Mary "Mollie" Husselbaugh Barnes.

She often explained that she was nicknamed "Puzz" in childhood by her sister, Alice "after an ugly, frizzy-haired baby in the newspaper comics. She said it looked just like me."

She was a graduate of Sykesville High School Class of 1943 and a class reunion organizer.

Before marrying, she worked for the Sykesville telephone switchboard and at Baltimore's Montgomery Ward, now Montgomery Park.

She lived on Daisy Road since 1946 and was a member of Lisbon United Methodist Church.

She was active in the Lisbon Elementary School PTA in the 1960s-1970s. Later in life, she volunteered her time to Meals on Wheels, Poplar Springs Thrift Shop, and Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department, among other causes.

She was a school bus driver and cashier for Eyre Bus Service before retiring in 1991.

She was best known for her love of cats, baking, cooking, candy-making skills, joking, sewing, writing commemorative poems for friends, photography, and knowledge of Sykesville history. Photos she took as a teen of her small but wonderful world along Sykesville’s Main Street are now found in local history books and restaurant walls and menus.

Puzz is survived by her son, K. Rodney Mullinix and wife Karen of Woodbine; daughter Lisa Brightwell of Catonsville; granddaughter Victoria Gaetani of Frederick; grandson K. Cameron Mullinix of Woodbine; great-grandsons Milo and Silvio Gaetani of Frederick; brother-in-law G. Thomas Mullinix and wife Aileen of Sarasota; brother-in-law Donald Brightwell and wife Linda of Mount Airy; and many cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends.

She was predeceased by husbands Kenneth Mullinix and William Brightwell; daughter Valerie Brightwell; siblings Robert Barnes, Alice Hughlett, LeRoy "Ted" Barnes; and her sweetheart, Orin ”Bill” Dooley.

A gathering will take place Saturday July 22 at Lisbon United Methodist Church, 15875 Frederick Road, Lisbon, MD 21765..The family will receive visitors beginning at 10:00 a.m., with a memorial service at 12:00 p.m. A meal will follow in the church hall. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Lisbon United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 51, Lisbon, MD 21765.