Billy Joe Barnes, 75 of Silver City, Iowa entered into rest on November 13, 2015 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was born on August 14, 1940 in Council Bluffs, Iowa to Willard G. & Mary Jane (Johnson) Barnes. He was raised in Council Bluffs and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1958.
Billy was united in marriage to Mary Elizabeth (Adair) Miller on January 31, 1983 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Billy was employed with the United States Postal Service for 30 years retiring in 1992. He then worked at Paul’s Motorcycle Shop until it closed in 2013. Billy enjoyed spending time working on motorcycles as well as being with his family and friends. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Preceding Billy in passing were his parents and son Billy Joe Barnes, Jr. Survivors include his wife Elizabeth Barnes of Silver City, Iowa; daughter, Geri Ann Barnes of Mississippi; three grandchildren, Asia, Brandon and Paul; four great-grandchildren; step-children, Susan Vanderpool of Glenwood, Iowa; Becky (Jon) Abrams of Glenwood, Iowa; Brian Miller of Cantonment, Florida; eight step-grandchildren; 10 step-great grandchildren; brother, John and wife Chinluankao Barnes of Tacoma, Washington; extended relatives and many friends.
Interment will be at a later date.
Memorials will be directed by the family.
Visitation:Wednesday, November 18, 2015
6:00 PM
212 S. Locust St.
Glenwood, IA51534
Service:Saturday, November 14, 2015
4:00 PM
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5 Condolences
Rest peacefully Dad.I love you
Geri, we are so sorry to hear about your dad. Margaret Tucker is my mom. I don’t think we have seen you since Aunt Mary passed but I wanted you to know we are thinking of you.
Michelle Tietsort (Tucker)
LIZ SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT BILL.I HOPE THAT YOUR WONDERFUL MEMORIES HELP YOU GET THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT TIME. MY MOM ELAINE MATTOX LOVED BILL AND JOHN LIKE HER BROTHERS
GERI ANN SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR DAD IT HARD LOSING A PARENT .DIDNT KNOW IF YOUR DAD TOLD YOU BUT MY MOM ELAINE PASSED AWAY JAN 21 MISS HER EVERYDAY. IM SURE GRANDMA MARY AND MY MOM ARE HAVING COFFEE AND YOUR DAD IS HAVING LUNCH LOL
Rest in peace dearest Uncle Bill. You will be dearly missed.
My deepest condolences to the family.
Here are some words I wrote while thinking of Uncle Bill that I wish I could have read at his memorial:
There is an old Hebrew Proverb that reads, “Say not in grief: “He is no moreâ€, but live in thankfulness that he was.†As much as my heart breaks that Bill is no longer with us, we can all be so thankful that dear Uncle Bill shared his spirit with us.
There is a theory that all we are is energy.  Energy that has taken corporeal forms in order to touch, to taste, to feel.  So when our organic bodies fail us, we return to our natural form, we become energy again therefore death does not truly exist. We merely change forms. As David Searls said, “Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean.†Somewhere out there I know Uncle Bill is watching us now, musing over his time and all of the wonderful things he got to experience with all of you.
I didn’t know him as well as I would’ve liked, but I know a few things. My earliest memory of Uncle Bill was when he rode around the country on the back of his motorcycle with his wife Liz. They came to visit us in Washington state on that trip. As a kid I remember thinking that he was so brave and adventurous like the people I watched on television. He inspired me to want to see the world. I know he had to have been a courageous man because he really loved motorcycles, and they are the ultimate embodiment of a free spirit, fearless on the open road.
My father, John, Bill’s brother, has shared many a story of their childhood together, one of his fondest memories being the times they spent fishing together. He even remembers that Bill cheated death several times in his early years, once in a motorcycle accident, yet he didn’t let that deter him from his passion. I know he took joy in the simple things in life, Bill enjoyed a meal once a week at his favorite restaurant.
And most of all, I know he laughed, the way he laughed was to imagine a face so full of joy and abandon even if it was through a phone line thousands of miles away it always put a smile on my face. I’m really going to miss his laugh.
So I think Bill serves to inspire us to be a little more fearless, to take joy in quiet moments, and to laugh out loud, to really laugh. And maybe every now and then when you do these things, think of him.
Winston Churchill once said, “I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.†I’m pretty sure Uncle Bill is raisin’ heck up there!
And from up there, he’s shining down on us everyday.
There’s an old Eskimo Legend that reads “Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.â€
So tonight when you look out at the stars wherever you may be, know that our dear Bill is happy for every moment he was able to spend with us, and every time you see those stars, think of him because as Cicero said “the life of the departed is placed in the memory of the living.†So that is our duty now, to remember him. Remember Bill always.
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