Annie Louise Barlow, former Haussner's waitress and homemaker, dies
Annie Louise Barlow, who served patrons of the old Haussner's restaurant for 43 years attired in a spotless white uniform with white shoes she polished nightly, died of heart failure Monday at the Maryland Masonic Home in Hunt Valley. She was 103 and was a former Dundalk resident of Charlesmont.
'The secret of her life was that she walked all every day, genuinely liked people, was involved with her church, and was an appreciative person and didn't worry,' said her son, James C. Barlow Jr.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, she was the daughter of Walter Avery Keesee, a Norfolk and Southern Railroad worker and his wife, Cora Lee Poole, a homemaker. The family moved to Bristol, Tennessee, where she attended local schools. At 16, she married James Carlton Barlow Sr., who was then working at a Civilian Conservation Corps camp.
'Though she lived through the Great Depression, she liked her childhood. The family raised chickens, had a vegetable garden and she recalled picking berries. Her father had a railroad pass and they went places,' her son said.
She and her husband lived briefly in Miami, Florida. While there, she observed that a well-run restaurant with a good clientele could provide good wages.
In 1950, Mrs. Barlow brought her husband to Baltimore for advanced orthopedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital for a hip injury. She spotted a busy Howard Johnson restaurant on Pulaski Highway and found work there.
Her sense of what made a good restaurant led her to Haussner's in Highlandtown. She was interviewed by its owner, William Henry Haussner, and remained on the job for 43 years, frequently commuting to work on a bus.
'She liked that Mr. Haussner did things the right way, with clean tablecloths and a fine menu,' her son said. 'She took pride in wearing pressed white uniforms, stockings and white shoes. As a waitress her whole life, she walked many miles and met many interesting people,' her son said.
Because she logged many miles of walking as a waitress, her shoes (she wore sturdy models) often scuffed — and she applied white liquid polish to them nightly, her son said. She also brought home treats — fudge squares (chocolate cake with a pecan) and wine squares — leftover yellow cake flavored with port wine.
Not long after taking the job — she worked the dinner shift — Mrs. Barlow met bandleader and saxophone player Jimmy Dorsey. She later served Baltimore sports and political figures — Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas and Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson, Mayor William Donald Schaefer and Congress member Helen Delich Bentley. She would frequently enjoy serving couples and small parties celebrating special occasions.
Because Haussner's had three servers named Louise, she was known as Louise Three.
For a period of time, she was the family breadwinner when her husband, who had a severe hip injury, recuperated for a year in a plaster cast.
'She was a wonderful homemaker even while juggling work, raising kids and attending church,' her son said. 'At Dundalk Baptist Church, she held Bible study classes for children and adults. She also visited the sick and found time for work and church friends.'
Survivors include her daughter, Betty Jane Sindlinger, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; two sons, James C. Barlow Jr., of Lutherville, and Daniel A. Barlow, of Sykesville; seven grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; 10 great-great-grandchildren; and four great-great-great-grandchildren. Her husband, who owned a Gulf service station in Dundalk's Gray Manor, died in 1999.
A funeral will be held at noon March 25 at Peaceful Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Center, 2325 York Road in Timonium.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacques Kelly at jacques.kelly@baltsun.com and 410-332-6570.
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