Joseph Barnett

Joe S. Barnett passed away on March 30, 2013, in Austin, at the age of 76. Born in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, he moved to Texas in 1947 and graduated from Waco High School in 1954. He earned a BBA degree from UT Austin, where he was in Phi Sigma Kappa. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army and then spent 12 years working in the business world prior to entering a teaching career that would span the rest of his life. Most of Joe's teaching was done in Dallas ISD at Woodrow Wilson High School, where he also coached golf and bowling. He retired in 1992, and then spent 5 years with Trinity Valley Community College as a GED teacher in Mabank, Texas.

In 1988, Joe married Libby, and they moved to Cedar Creek Lake. Joe became an active golfer and was very involved in the Presbyterian Church in Mabank, where he sang in the choir and in an ensemble, taught adult Sunday School, and volunteered with the Mabank Good Samaritans Food Pantry. He also was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church and chaired several important church committees. At the Cedar Creek Country Club, he was a two-time President of the Men's Golf Association and also a President of the Cedar Creek Country Club Property Owner's Association.

In April 2005, Joe moved with Libby to Round Rock, where they joined the Round Rock Presbyterian Church. He joined with several other church members to establish an adult Sunday School class and shared in the teaching for several years until Alzheimer's Disease made it too difficult for him to continue preparing the lessons.

Joe and Libby traveled extensively in Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Joe is survived by his wife, Libby; his son and daughter-in-law, Jeff and Helene Barnett, and their children Shawn and Alesha; stepdaughter, Kimberly Fredrick, and her husband Rob Norris, and their children Grayson, Graham and Nash; stepsons Michael Fredrick and Paul Fredrick; and 5 cousins in the Dallas area.

Services will be held at Round Rock Presbyterian Church in Round Rock, Texas on Friday, April 5, at 2:00 PM. Memorial donations maybe made to Alzheimer's Association, at their website www.alz.org, or by calling (512) 241-0420.