Lee Barnhardt Honeycutt (1959-2019)

HONEYCUTT, HOLT, GAINES

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 12/21/2019 at 21:24:12

Obituary from Brookside Funeral Home and Creamatory, Ellensburg, Washington.

Lee Barnhardt Honeycutt was born on May 29, 1959 to the spirited Robert (Bob) and Ruth (Ruthie) Honeycutt. On November 6, Lee took his final breaths in the warming embraces of his wife Carolyn and best friend Creech, while his pastor provided the guiding words on his path to everlasting peace.

The stories of Lee’s life are reflective of a ridiculously keen intellect, a wandering and curious soul in God’s natural world, and a loving man who never met a stranger. He warmed our hearts with beautiful song, an infectious smile, sharp wit, and he faced any challenge with sense of discovery.

His wild journey included work as a private investigator, UPI Bureau Chief in Savannah, and mansion caretaker for the Bacardi Rum family. Once Lee returned to academics, he discovered a desire to understand how language and technology impact humanity and a wish to pass that to his students, whose lives he profoundly changed at Iowa State University as an Associate Professor.

An undergraduate degree from UT Knoxville, masters at UNC Charlotte, and PhD in Rhetoric and Professional Communications from RPI in Troy, NY provided a base of knowledge, but his need to know everything about a subject made him tick. His appreciation for music, the outdoors, politics, energy policy, religion, and reading never allowed for a dull moment.

In the late 1980s, Lee and Carolyn met, and the connection was instantaneous. Their laughter and passion took them to the altar on October 27, 1991 and across the continent, facing their adventures with an unwavering love. Even after the diagnosis of Glioblastoma Multiforme IV in January 2017, Lee would see this as an opportunity for research, and do everything he imagined, just in a more definitive timeframe. It would not define him, but instead enhance him. The day after diagnosis, Lee and Care did not wallow and instead took in a trip to the Museum of Pop Culture where Lee found Duane Allman’s 1957 Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul, fulfilling a lifelong quest.

Lee lives on in the hearts of his wife Carolyn Sue (Holt) Honeycutt and best friend S. Creech Hardee, Jr. Lee leaves behind brothers Franklin Gaines Honeycutt, cherished sister-in-law Cindy (Cynthia Christmas), brother Robert Michael Honeycutt (Mert), and loving nieces and nephews Marta, Preston, Stewart, Hannah and Lukas. In his final moments, his faithful companions Dakota and Dylan brought him great comfort. He was preceded in death by his devoted parents Robert Lee and Carolyn Ruth (Gaines) Honeycutt.

A Celebration of Life is planned for late spring 2020, when friends and family can gather to honor Lee at the Elks Ballroom in Ellensburg. Following the celebration, all are invited on a pilgrimage to the mountains of Washington in his honor. Memorials reflect Lee’s varied interests and may be donated to Gallery One Visual Arts Center Endowment Fund, Kittitas County Search and Rescue, and First Lutheran Church of Ellensburg through Brookside Funeral Home at 101 E W 2nd Ave, Ellensburg, WA 98926.