New Page 3

Barnts, Dennis (Oct. 8, 2007)

Ashland and Creswell, OR

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS: Service with US Marines. Marriage to my friend and wife. Birth and adoption of our sons. Death of oldest son, after a three year battle with cancer. Tour of five states by motorcycle. Professional challenges of operations for city utilities as Public Works Supt. Last, but not least, retirement, learning to sail and building another life.

2007: Dennis died Oct. 8 of brain cancer. He was 64. He was born July 20, 1943, in Cheyenne, Wyo., to Ben and Harriet Barnts Barnts. He married Eunice Kimball on July 11, 1964, in Trent. He studied for three years at Southern Oregon University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1961 to 1967. Barnts worked at Ashland Water Department and was public works superintendent for the city of Ashland for 33 years.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Brandon of Los Angeles and Bobby of Seattle; and a brother, Clint of Eugene. A son, Kevin Barnts, died previously.

From Jan Fochtman Hinrichs: Several of our class were at the service. Mainly speakers from family and friends. Eunice was the first speaker. I don't know how she did it but she did a fine job. She spoke of Dennis's strong feelings about certain things and how at first she interpreted him as being a harsh unyielding person but later found he just had really strong feelings and beliefs. She also spoke of his gentleness and love for young children. He loved to read and volunteered weekly at a neighborhood school to read to children. Nieces and nephews spoke of his huge size but also of kindness and his kind eyes. Both sons spoke. Bobby, the adopted son, spoke of himself being the real test for his dad. He said there were two rules in the house, No earrings and no hair coloring. He did both. He said he first got a little clip on earring to just try it out on his dad. Bobby was laying on the couch when Dennis came home from work. Bobby didn't even think Dennis had looked his way but soon the earring was on the floor and Bobby was running the other way. John Hales got up and spoke of Dennis and he in high school. Dennis had an old brown car and wanted it to have a cool rake job so every month or so they would hoist up the car and put a piece of lumber over the springs in the back to make the car go down in the front. The board would only last about a month and then it would break so they kept having to put in a new board.