It is with great sadness that the family of Gerald Barnett announce his death on July 13th, 2026; just 9 days shy of his 90th birthday. A private service was held and he was interred in the Friona Cemetery. Services entrusted to HANSARD FAMILY Funeral Home of Friona.
Gerald was born on July 22, 1936 in Snyder, TX. He was the youngest child of Thurman and Ruby Barnett. He graduated from Friona High School in 1954 and enlisted in the United States Navy. He served on the aircraft carrier USS Leyte and it instilled in him a love of aviation and flying that lasted the rest of his life. He returned to Friona after finishing his tour in the Navy and married Barbara Crow on St Patrick’s Day (March 17), 1958. They moved to Lubbock shortly thereafter and began their lifelong adventure that included raising three children; Vicki, Michael and Mark.
In Lubbock, Gerald attended Texas Tech and worked at Santa Fe Railroad while Barbara made a home and raised the children. Armed with a new teaching degree in 1969 he loaded the family up and set out to teach for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Many Farms, Arizona. His career as a teacher would take the family from Arizona to New Mexico and Gerald never tired of exploring and discovering in the Southwest. When Gerald retired from teaching at the Jemez Pueblo in northern NM, the family moved for Barbara’s job opportunities with Union Geothermal Company. They returned to Texas, first to Houston and then to Amarillo, before one last opportunity led Gerald and Barbara back to the Jemez mountains and Los Alamos, NM. Gerald worked at the Los Alamos County airport as an air traffic director until 1996 when they both retired and returned to the Panhandle. They settled in their home north of Bovina where they raised horses, dogs and cats. Gerald was an inveterate tinkerer with a creative mind and capable hands; duct tape and baling wire until his death.
Gerald is predeceased by his beloved wife of 65 years, Barbara, and his parents.
Left to carry on his memory are his three children, Vicki, Michael (Martha) and Mark (Elizabeth); his 5 grandchildren, Julia Barrett, Jacob Barnett, William Barnett, McKenzie Walker and Benjamin Barnett; and his four great-grandchildren, Riggs, Boone, Sonny, and Hallie Barrett. He is also survived by his brother, Doyce Barnett, his loyal dog companion Sweetie and Barbara’s remaining cats.
You may send blessings to the family and sign the online guest book at: hansardfamily.com