Donald Herschel Barnes

Donald Herschel Barnes (1929-2016), died at the age of 86 on June 3, 2016. Don was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest of 11 children. As a result of his early childhood experiences, he learned how to stand his ground and arrive promptly at the dinner table when mealtime began. His older brothers served as mentors on the golf course, in the classroom, and as guides to becoming a true Southern gentleman. With the support of his brothers, Don entered the Georgia Institute of Technology, participating in the Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Naval ROTC program. On the first day of his classes at Tech, “Bussy” met his life-long love and companion, Louanne Hixon, who was the fraternity sweetheart and later his wife of 65 years. He was an avid supporter of Georgia Tech athletics and cheered loud and long for his Yellow Jackets. His four daughters, Cindy, Sally, Nancy and Molly, could sing all the verses of the fight song, and his wife and daughters spent many happy Saturdays being “schooled” in the finer points of football strategy and cheering on the university his granddaughter dubbed “Bee State”. Shortly after graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering, Don was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy and served as Chief Engineering Officer aboard the USS Gearing deployed to the Mediterranean at the close of the Korean War. He valued the opportunities he had to grow as a leader and proudly represent his country. He recounted with pleasure the day he played a round of golf with a retired Admiral. They were surrounded by low-lying clouds in the peaks above Monte Carlo overlooking the castle that is prominently featured in the movie To Catch a Thief.

Upon his release from the Navy, he began a long and successful career as an industrial salesman with Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Jacksonville, Florida. He garnered recognition as one of the three most outstanding salesmen internationally for his corporation and, after his retirement, he continued to work in his field with smaller independent companies. Don expressed his gratitude for the many blessings of his life by serving his church, Southside Baptist, sharing his love for the Lord with young people and volunteering to assume leadership roles that supported the spiritual growth and development of his church community. He was a founding member of the South Jacksonville Civitan Club serving in many capacities including president. He was dedicated to supporting the Special Olympics program in Jacksonville and the club’s efforts to assist developmentally disabled children.

Throughout his adult life, he continued to pursue learning opportunities, earning a Master’s degree in Business Administration from The University of North Florida when he was 46, reading extensively about the history of the Civil War, and developing a mean game of tennis. Known as “the human backboard”, Don frustrated many of his opponents with his agility and infinite patience. His son-in-laws and grandsons can attest to his golfing prowess and gentle encouragement, “tee it high and let it fly!”

One of his greatest loves was spending time at the beach with his family. When the girls were young, they spent hours together in the surf, and were only guaranteed a place in the car on the way home if they could produce a decent shark’s tooth. Through his leadership, a 30+ year tradition of gathering each summer on the beach has resulted in a history of water gun fights, treasure hunts, and surfing and fishing adventures that allowed his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to build memories and grow in love for each other.

Don is survived by his wife, Louanne, and his daughters Cindy (Rod Roth), Sally (Bob Hall), Nancy (Bob Arnold), and Molly (Allan Copp). Grandy will be missed by his grandchildren Ryan (Andrew Russell), Robert Arnold (Christy), Chase Cornell (Christina), Meredith Arnold, Luke Arnold, Allan Moore Copp, Jr., and Hixon Copp, and his great grandchildren Will and Aerin Russell.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, his 10 siblings, and his granddaughter, Erin Elissa Bailey.

A gathering of friends will take place from four o’clock in the afternoon to six o’clock in the evening on Saturday, June 11th, 2016 at Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Don's memory be made to Vitas Hospice (http://www.vitas.com/community-connection/donate).

… for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21