Claudia Morgan Barnier passed away on January 1, 2026 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN, after sudden complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Claudia was born on August 5, 1951, to Paul and Angeline Morgan in St. Louis, MO. She was the second of four children, and attended St. Gabriel The Archangel elementary school. She graduated from Rosati-Kain High School in 1969, and enrolled in the College of Architecture at the University of Detroit. She graduated with a degree in Graphic Design in 1973.
Claudia met her future husband, Chris, while at the University of Detroit. After graduation, she moved to Minneapolis, MN, and began working for art and advertising firms. Claudia and Chris were married on May 18, 1974, and lived in the Twin Cities area until Chris finished college. Because of his employment with the US Department of Agriculture, they moved to Slayton and Bemidji, MN, and eventually to Little Falls, MN in 1980, where Chris worked as County Supervisor at the Farmers Home Administration office.
Claudia worked at engineering and printing firms, and then began doing bookkeeping and office work in Little Falls. Wherever they lived, Claudia was active in local food cooperatives. She owned a natural foods store, Claudia’s Pantry, in Little Falls from 1987 through 1994. Claudia volunteered at St. Francis Convent in Little Falls, helping with reception and gift shop, but especially being a companion to some of the retired sisters. She was keenly interested in her three charitable sponsorships of children in Central America.
Claudia and Chris moved to rural Maiden Rock, WI in 2016. She continued to meet and befriend people before suffering a decline in health.
Claudia had a keen eye for beauty, and enjoyed going to craft sales and gift shops, collecting glassware, decorating her home, and finding local artists. She always protested that she was a city kid, but her life in Minnesota and Wisconsin exposed her to house remodeling and building, snowshoeing, cooking on an antique woodstove, sailing, fishing, driving an old stick shift truck, and living on their small farms at Little Falls and Maiden Rock.
Claudia is survived by her husband Chris, sisters Barbara (David) Detjen of Greenwich, CT, Paulette (Dave) Miller of St. Louis, MO, brother Tony (Rachel) Morgan of Arnold, MO, three nieces and one nephew; in addition to Chris’ seven siblings and their spouses and children. She was preceded in death by her parents Paul and Angeline Morgan.
The funeral will be on Friday, January 30, 2026 at the Church of St. Joseph in Red Wing, MN. Visitation at 10 a.m., funeral Mass at 11 a.m., with luncheon to follow. Burial will be at a later date.
