Darwin Bruce "Butch" Barnett (2007)

BARNETT, PRICE, OETKER, DUFFEY

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 7/16/2007 at 15:12:50

Kuhn Funeral Home
Earlham, Iowa
May 2007

Darwin Bruce Barnett was born November 17, 1939, in Linden, Iowa, to Willard and Mabel Barnett. He was raised in the Bear Creek area. He became "Butch" at an early age when someone gave him a very short haircut!

Butch attended Earlham School and graduated in 1957. Two years later, on June 6, 1959, he and Karen Price were married. On July 27, 1960, Melissa Anne was born, and on March 30, 1964, Andrew Darren was born (instead of the turtle that Misty wanted).

Butch's first job was working as a carpenter for Roy Knight. In 1977, he and Dan Love started their own business, Butch and Dan Construction, doing finish carpentry. Anyone lucky enough to own something Butch has made knows the patience, the love of the wood, and the pure enjoyment that went into it. He not only made furniture, he and Karen spent 23 years making and selling their handcrafted items at the Covered Bridge Festival. For a lot of those years, Butch made homemade butter, using his grandmother's churn, and giving out samples.

Because of an old back injury, it became necessary to give up heavy carpentry, and in 1989 he and Karen opened A Different Drummer gift shop. A few years later, the greenhouse was added. They grew the best plants around, as many people often told them. Maybe part of that was due to the country music Butch always left on for the plants.

Community involvement was always important to Butch, most especially the 30-plus years of volunteering on the Earlham Rescue Squad. His compassion, gentleness, and empathy were known and valued by many, many people through the years. He didn't just offer emergency care, but went to homes or hospitals to check on the ill or injured. They often became dear friends, describing Butch as never being without a smile and a hug. The other members of the rescue squad were friends he treasured, having been with them during good times, and also during the difficult calls they made.

In 1985, red-headed baby Amy was born. Brown-eyed Katesy Bethy followed in 1988, and in 1989, curly-haired Hayley Annie arrived. They were "Grandpa's Girls", and he loved nothing more than the time he spent with them, watching soccer games and music concerts, having them spend the night, and helping make projects from his wood scraps.

As probably everyone knows, Butch didn't think there was any such thing as "bad junk". He could find a treasure in everything. The last few years, curb pickup days were as much fun as Christmas.

Butch died suddenly on Sunday, April 29, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center at the age of 67. His greeters in heaven will be his parents, Mabel and Willard Barnett, his three older brothers, Marvin, Harold and Bob, and Grandma Mom. Left to treasure the memories are his wife, Karen, daughter, Misty Oetker, son, Andy Barnett, granddaughters, Amy, Katie, and Hayley Oetker, and sister, Sharon Duffey.

Butch endured many years of back pain and health problems, making even walking difficult on some days. Just last month, he had a dream that he was running, and he enjoyed it so much! We hope that that's exactly what he's doing now.

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