Rod Barnes

Rod Barnes, age 72, passed away June 4, 2016. He was born on July 24, 1943 in Poteau, OK to Chester Hosea and Velma Lee (Smith) Barnes. Rod served in the U.S. Army and married Linda LaVonne Bedford. He was a 30 year resident of Garland, TX and a member of the First Baptist Church of Garland.

Rod and Linda met a few months after Rod was discharged from the Army and came to Wyoming.

After marrying, they moved to McAlester, Oklahoma, Rod’s home town. Rod went to work for the Naval Ammunition Depot making bombs (1965).

They moved back to Wyoming to live a couple of years where Rod went to work with Linda’s Dad at the Wyoming State Pen.

The next move was to the Dallas area where Rod’s sister and brother and their families lived. Rod went to work with his brother-in-law in the Armored Car business and drove an armored car from the Federal Reserve to banks all over Texas.

Other adventures included working for the Ben E. Keith Company, The Metzger family, working with his brother-in-law in the commercial refrigeration business and then becoming a Texas licensed home inspector working with his close friend Fred Ferierra (fa rer a).

In 1992 Rod joined Linda in the real estate business and become a licensed realtor. Rod and Linda were one of the first husband and wife teams in the area and were together 24 hours a day and still stayed married 50 years.

Rod was an avid reader and loved reading about the old west. He often said that he would have loved to live in the 1800’s but was born 100 years too late. He loved John Wayne.

After joining Garland First Baptist he and Linda joined the Barnabas Sunday School class. Rod loved to go to Sunday school and even when he was struggling with COPD, he rarely missed a Sunday and loved the Barnabas family.

Rod was a kind, loving, and gentle man, a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and later a great grandfather with his offspring calling him “Papa”.

He was a friend to many who loved him and will be missed by everyone.

Rod is survived by his wife, Linda Barnes; son, Kenneth Allan Barnes; daughter, Shannon LaVonne Blackshear; 5 grandchildren, Joshua Blackshear and wife, Jessica, Heather Blackshear, Tiffany Blackshear, Jessie Blackshear and Taz Barnes and wife, Cheyenne; 8 great-great grandchildren, Faith, Madison, Allison, Scarlet, Natalie, Lilly, Penelope, Jessie II; sister, Patricia Kettle.

Inurnment will be at the Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery at 11:15 A.M., Friday, June 17, 2016. A memorial service will be held at 6:30 P.M., Friday June 17, 2016 at Charles W. Smith and Sons Chapel in Sachse.