Jeannette Haran Barbot was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Pierre Haran and Marie Biscaichipy, French Basque immigrants. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 29, 2012. She lived 92 years as a kind, compassionate, loving woman, dedicated to God, family and friends.
At the age of 13 she moved with her family to Jaxu, France in the Basque Pyrenees. She lived in France during the German occupation of France working with her future sister-in-law in Paris at a hospital tending to the needs of wounded soldiers. On her many visits back to her home in Southern France she met Praxedes Barbot, a French soldier who had escaped from a German prison camp. They married in the Basque Country, and seeking the dream of a better life, moved to Paris where they worked as caretakers for royalty. Their son, John was born in Paris.
In 1949, they moved to Argentina where their daughter, Christine was born. After five years, they fled the dictatorship of Juan Peron, moving to Chino, California. While in Chino, Jeannette worked as a cook at the Centro Basque Restaurant while her husband milked cows. Their son, Reuben, was born in 1957. In 1958 they moved to Glendale, Arizona to establish a dairy and in 1965, moved to Turlock and purchased a dairy farm. During these years, Jeannette worked on the dairy alongside her husband and children tending to the cows, irrigating, raising vegetables and animals. She loved cooking gourmet meals for family and their many visitors, and no one went home hungry or unsatisfied. Jeannette also loved telling stories, sharing her experiences and insights, and playing Mus- a Basque card game. Jeannette was the spiritual force of the family, and she insisted on transporting her children to Catholic school on a daily basis. She was proud to instill in her family a love of God, prayer, self-sacrifice, courage and perseverance.
Jeannette was extremely proud of two events in her life. First, in 1978 she and her husband played in a Mus competition and qualified for the National Championships, where they placed second. Jeannette was the first woman to ever play in the National competition. Second, in 1993, Jeannette became a US citizen. She was very patriotic and rarely missed voting in an election. Jeannette was very proud that in America she had fulfilled her dream of a better life for herself and her children. All the while, she remained very active in her culture, and was an active member of the Los Banos Basque Club, where members young and old would affectionately call her "Amachi."
When her husband passed away after 50 years of marriage she dedicated herself to her grandchildren and Church. She transported her grandchildren to Catholic School and was very active in parish activities attending daily Mass, Adoration Chapel, volunteering for the school festival, helping with the Advent Giving Tree, and the Daily Bread Ministry. She also supported the Sacred Heart School foundation and sponsored children from Ethiopia and Guatemala through World Vision and the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging.
She is survived by her daughter, Christine Etchepare (Jim) of Turlock; her sons, John (MaryAnn) of El Cajon and Reuben (Mary) of Lakewood; her sister Graciana Haran Sanchez of Spain; and grandchildren, Janelle(Drew), Nicole (Wes), Michael (Florence), Andrew (Leslie), Elizabeth, Laurel, Marc, Peter, Sara and Michelle.
A public viewing will be held on Friday, February 3, 2012 between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., at the Turlock Memorial Park & Funeral Home, followed by a vigil/rosary at 7:00 p.m. The funeral will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Turlock on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at 11:30 a.m.
Turlock Journal
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
