Margaret Charlotte Barr

Margaret Charlotte Barr, born in Knoxville, Tennessee on August 16,1942, passed away peacefully at Alive Hospice in Nashville on the morning of August 3,2026, leaving behind a legacy of love, compassion and service. Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents, Margaret Faitha Barr and Nelson Travis Barr, and her brother, Nelson Barr. She is survived by her brother, David Barr (Cheryl) and several nieces and nephews.

Charlotte’s life was a remarkable journey of faith, education and lots of travel! She attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grade School and Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, making lifelong friends. She had one year with her family in Cairo, Egypt, where her father worked on a United Nations assignment in conjunction with his employment with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Perhaps this was the beginning of her love of seeing the world.

She returned to Notre Dame High School, and upon graduation, entered the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. Charlotte cherished the monastic lifestyle of prayer and teaching and the joys of living in a community of women serving the Lord. Sister Mary Anthony acquired a B.A. in English and spent many happy years teaching at several schools, including Saint Cecilia Academy in Nashville and Aquinas College. She later pursued master’s degrees at Memphis State University and Providence College. These years were spent writing studying and writing, both poetry and plays.

In the classroom, many students spoke of Sister Mary Anthony as their favorite teacher, a brilliant woman with so many talents. One student said, “She could be intimidating at times, and as freshmen, we were utterly scared of her!” Yet once they had her for a teacher, she was much loved. She would not let her students get by with anything less than their best. Another student said, “Sister strengthened our knowledge, brightened our Faith and loved us unconditionally.”

In 1985, Sister Mary Anthony took a sabbatical from her religious community and teaching position at Aquinas College, and journeyed to Roses Creek, a hollow of Tennessee’s Clear Fork Valley, where she worked with a woman known as the “Mother Teresa” of Appalachia- Marie Cirillo. Charlotte’s experience among the poorest of the poor in those mountains changed her forever.

Sister Mary Anthony returned to the community and thrust herself into monastic life and teaching. In1989, she published her first book of poetry, “Sister Woman,” which was well received. One critic stated that “she courts God as sweetly as Teresa of Avila.” For reasons known only to her own heart, Sister Mary Anthony sought dispensation of her vows in 1990.In the preface of her second book of poetry she writes, “In the throes of a painful leave taking, I settled into my uncertain niche within a boarding school community and my place in a tiny village traditionally receptive to artists and craftsman. People have been kind and this transitional time has been good.”

This second book, “The Bell Buckle Years was published in 1992, and her fears that she might not be able to pray or write poetry again were assuaged. In the preface, she writes,

“In time, I came to understand that the Sister and the Woman were the same person, and that vows to God go deeper than any document. Our gifts are not revoked; in the soul’s night they wait, among the unseen angels, to be summoned from the shadows and attend us.”

Charlotte had many happy years at The Webb School, along with her mother, who moved from Villa Maria in Nashville to be with her.

In 1992, she accepted a position at The Baylor School, where she held the title of poet-in residence and taught several English classes. Life was good and her beloved Scotties were always underfoot. Travels took her to England, Scotland, Ireland, Syria, the Holy Land, Italy, Germany and many other countries.

Charlotte retired from teaching in 2007 and was able to complete the writing of one more book of poetry, “The Text Beneath” and a convent memoir called “My Youth Like Petals.” Her final publication was “Hungry Moon- Portraits of Appalachian Women.” This book is a profound collaboration with her friend Marie Cirillo, a New Yorker who dedicated over fifty years to her beloved community of Clairfield, Kentucky.

Charlotte had many friends in Chattanooga, but made the decision to return to Nashville, residing at Villa Maria Manor, where she had kept up with many former students. She continued to travel until her health declined. Charlotte lived her life to the fullest; her joy, laughter, and generosity touched many in her eighty-four years of life. Her passing on August 3, after a fall at Villa Maria Manor, have left her friends and family saddened, but thankful that Charlotte has gone Home.

Services for Charlotte Barr will be held on Thursday, August 6, at Saint Henry Catholic Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Visitation will be in the Narthex from 10:00 to 11:00 with Mass of Christian Burial to follow, presided by Father Pat Kibby. Charlotte will be taken to Chattanooga for burial in the family plot at Forest Hills Cemetery
at a time yet to be determined.

Special thanks to all who have helped in Charlotte’s care the past several months: Peggy Daniel, Rebecca Horton, Kay Van Echop, Tina Whitley and Penny Templeton. Very special thanks to Charlotte’s Alive Hospice Home Health Care Nurse, Urushla Atkins and Toni Evans, her Alive Hospice Home Health Care Social Worker.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Charlotte’s memory to Alive Hospice, 1710 Patterson Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, 6949 Charlotte Pike, Suite 104  (615) 857-9955. We are proud to be West Nashville & Bellevue’s only locally owned and operated burial & cremation provider.