Queen Esther Barnes

The sun rose at 6:24 am on August 15, 1936, in the countryside of Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Three hours and 46 minutes later, at 10:10 am, a 'Star' was born.
Queen Esther Craig was born to Margaret Anderson and William Lee Craig in a small rural town founded by former slaves and nicknamed by President Theodore Roosevelt as "The Jewel of the Delta". Her birth was historic due to her being one of the set of triplets, the first-ever recorded in Mound Bayou. Her early years were spent in Mississippi, living with her mother and grandparents on their family's farm. When her Granny "Big Mama" migrated north, she took Queen Esther, her older sister Queen Eleanor, and her younger brother King Elbert with her.
They moved to the Westside of Chicago and attended Gladstone Elementary School. A few years later, the family purchased a brownstone on the West Side of Chicago, where they lived off Roosevelt Road and Central Park. This is where Queen Esther lived until adulthood. After her high school graduation, Queen Esther accepted a position with the US Postal Service, but she wanted to further her education and decided to take night courses at a local junior college.
During this time, Big Mama, who was a significant influence in Queen Esther's life, helped change the trajectory of her spiritual awareness of God. Queen Esther would follow Big Mama to the formerly named Bethlehem Healing Temple of the Apostolic Faith Inc., in Chicago, IL. This was a pivotal point in Queen Esther's life. She heard the word of the gospel and obeyed by being baptized in Jesus's name. On January 1, 1955, at midnight, she was speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave utterance and was filled with the Holy Ghost as she crossed over into the New Year.
Bethlehem became her second home. Queen Esther devoted her time and energy to the church and its international ministries. She wore many hats during her 55+ years as a faithful member of the church and its organization, the Living Witnesses of the Apostolic Faith (LWAF). Early on, Queen Esther would serve as an usher, secretary and traveling companion of the late great Evang. Mattie B. and Mary Poole, and so much more.
Queen Esther embodied the "Living Witness" aspect of its name. She saw the blind see, the dumb speak, and the lame walk. Every miracle and healing she witnessed only strengthened her faith in the One True Living God. God showed Himself even more by healing her of tuberculosis and bringing her back to life after she fell lifeless in a wedding. Later, to her surprise, God called her to the ministry in 1956, and she began the next phase of her life as a preacher and teacher.
Ten years later, in 1966, Queen Esther met a charming young man: Tommy L. Barnes. After many months of courtship, they married on April 29, 1967. Eight children were born to their union: five girls and three boys.
After five years of marriage, Tommy and Queen Esther felt led to move the family to Miami, Florida, to begin a ministry. There, they started Shiloh Apostolic Church. After laboring in the vineyards from Florida to Savannah, the family returned home to serve once again in the LWAF organization. In 1982, she was appointed to the Dept. Secretary of the LWAF, a position she held for two separate terms until 1990. For ten years, she served in several capacities on two committees: the National Program Committee and the National Foreign Mission. In 2002, God elevated her again, and she, along with her husband, became ordained Ministers within the LWAF.
In 2011, Queen Esther's health took a drastic turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was blessed to have Bishop Horace E. Smith, M.D., who connected her with Chicago's No. 1 ranking hospital, Northwestern Memorial, where she underwent a successful lumpectomy to remove the cancer. After she completed her radiation treatment, God healed her, and five years later, she was declared cancer-free until her death! To God be the Glory!!
Queen Esther retired to Dallas, Texas in 2017, where she joined The Potter's House under the leadership of Bishop T. D. Jakes. After a prolonged bout with advanced dementia, this "Small Gentle Giant" was reassigned and called to her Heavenly home on October 28, 2025.
Queen Esther was a humble servant, a small GIANT, loving & devoted. She possessed a giving heart, meekness, dedication, faithfulness, and loyalty. But most of all, she was Truthful, Thoughtful, & Thorough.
She was also a protective sister, loyal wife, loving mother, and faithful servant to The Most High God. The life she lived, the love she showed, and her spirit will live on forever in the many hearts she touched of those who knew her.
She is predeceased by her brothers, Willie Anderson, her triplet brother, King Elbert Craig, Landau Buie, Jr, Emerson Buie, and her sister, Yolanda Carmichael.
Her greatest sorrow was the untimely death of her son, Tommy Isaiah Barnes (Angela Dominique), and her grandson, David Earl Brooks, Jr.
She leaves to mourn: Her twin sister, Queen Eleanor Walker of Pontiac, MI; her brother, Moses L. Buie, Bellwood, IL, and her sister, Norma Jean Jackson, Chicago, IL.
Mourning her loss: Her loving & faithful husband Tommy Lee Barnes, her seven children: Khrys, Atlanta, GA, Angela G., LaTarsha (mother of David Earl Brooks Jr.), Edna Janeen (Tony), Joel (Zsaquitha) Chicago, IL, Michelle, and David (LaSaundra). Grandchildren: Ashley, DaVontaé (Londra), Takirah, Christion, Morgan, Joshua, Kamryn, Kendal, Jordan, Kadence, Kaden, Dominique, Derek, and Alonzo. Great-grandchildren: Jax, Lailani, Avona, Ezra, Jeremiah, and Alonzo Isaiah. As well as a host of nieces, nephews, in-laws, godchildren, and friends.