Barnett, Reid Wendell 1921-2007

BARNETT, BOYD

Posted By: Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/20/2008 at 15:40:26

Reid Wendell Barnett, 86, passed away Oct. 20 at his home in Alva, Okla., after battling cancer of the pancreas.

Reid was born in Modesto, Calif., on Jan. 9, 1921, to Clay C. Barnett, Sr., and Ina K. (Boyd) Barnett.

Reid is survived by his wife and four sons: Denby, Wendell, Anthony and Timothy, and one daughter, Siv Marie. One son, Clifford, preceded his father in death. Also surviving are two sisters, Christine, of Waukee, and Bonnie of Arcadia, Calif.; two brothers, Richard of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Clayborn, of Knoxville. Sister Rena died in 1972.

Reid was a contractor and Mason in Ames and Phoenix, Ariz. Retiring in 1987, the next two years were spent with his wife, as they traveled across the United States in a fifth-wheel trailer home.

Reid was a graduate of Knoxville High School, where he lettered three years in football and was senior class president. He lived in Knoxville from 1937 until the start of World War II.

Reid was a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Air Force. He flew SBD-3 dive bombers in the South Pacific, where he flew over 58 missions. He then returned to the US to prepare for the invasion of Japan, but two atomic bombs ended the war.

Reid donated his body to science.

The Knoxville Journal Express, November 2, 2007