"Arthur Dale Barnes died at the Hospice of Baton Rouge's Butterfly Wing on February 19, 2017, following a long struggle with cancer. Dale was born in Hattiesburg, MS on July 18, 1942 to Eugene L. and Christine Thompson Barnes. He grew up in Pascagoula, MS and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1964. Following graduation, Dale served as a U.S. Naval Officer and was a combat veteran of the Vietnam War. He was the officer-in-charge of Swiftboat PCF 92. After the Navy, he continued his education and received his MA at the University of New Orleans and PhD in English and American Literature at Brandeis University. While in graduate school Dale spent summers as skipper of a crew boat in the Gulf of Mexico. On December 19, 1976, he married Ruth Mary Schneider in Washington, DC, and they settled in Baton Rouge. Dale taught in the English Department at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge from 1976 until his retirement in 2006. He especially enjoyed teaching classes in Shakespeare, The Bible as Literature and The City in Literature. A long-time member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, Dale was Junior Warden on the Vestry, served on the Trinity school board, taught classes and sang in the choir. In retirement he enjoyed spending time with family, traveling and playing bridge with friends at La Madeline on Friday afternoons. Dale is survived by his wife, Ruth, his three children: son Paul Barnes; daughter Mary Christine Barnes Tirone, her husband Dan, and grandson Bradley Dale; son Stephen Barnes, his wife Ivy, and grandchildren Stella, Rayna, Farrah, Bliss and Gus. He is also survived by his brother Samuel H. Barnes, sister-in-law Anne Barnes; and two nephews and a niece and their families. The family expresses their deep appreciation to the physicians, nurses and caregivers who cared for Dale over the years and to the staff of The Hospice of Baton Rouge for their kindness and support this past year. The funeral will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, on Saturday, March 4, at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice.
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