William Amsden Barnard III

Bill was born July 3, 1942 to William Amsden Barnard II and Florence Barnard (nee Corson) as the fourth of their five children. He lived a full, adventurous life and loved to entertain people with his life stories.

Bill was born and raised in Concord and its surrounding areas. As a young teenager, Bill began playing his bugle for the American Legion Post 31, Penacook, New Hampshire. He quickly became the prime bugler for the Post, a position he held through his high school graduation from Penacook High School in 1961.

After graduation, Bill joined the United States Air Force where he served from 1962 to 1966 as a jet aircraft mechanic specialist and honor guard member, attaining the rank of E-3. During his time with the service, he was stationed at Peas, NH and Myrtle Beach, SC. Bill enjoyed telling the story of how he became an honorary Air Force Brigadier General for half an hour.

While stationed at Myrtle Beach, SC he was assigned to VIP transportation. One day, an Air Force Brigadier General arrived. Bill greeted the General, who recognized his accent and asked where Bill was from. When Bill said New Hampshire the two quickly hit it off. It turns out the General was from Pittsfield, NH. The General asked when Bill had last been home. Bill explained it had been six months and he was waiting on approval for a three-day pass so he could go back to Concord and get his car. The General told Bill’s commander “He’s going with me when I leave.” Turns out the next base on the General’s itinerary was Peas AFB near Concord. The General soon departed SC with Bill in the plane. As they flew, Bill realized he was dressed for warmer weather and the plane was cold. The General lent Bill his jacket to keep warm. Upon arrival at Peas AFB, the General told Bill to head over to the cafeteria. The General had a logbook to fill out first but would meet Bill there in 30 minutes. Bill exited the plane and headed towards the nearby cafeteria. A group of officers were standing outside. As Bill approached, the officers stood at attention and saluted him. He was confused but returned the salute and went into the cafeteria. A little while later, the General entered, and Bill returned the jacket. The General then left wearing the jacket. Bill left a short time after. As he exited the cafeteria, he overhead one of the Officers say: “Wow! Two Brigadier Generals in less than an hour.”

Upon separation from the service, he was hired by the Concord Police Department. He attended the first New Hampshire Police Academy and received the #1 class pin. Bill also obtained a degree in Criminal Justice and went on to faithfully serve the Concord community for 29 years working as a patrolman, detective and as evidence technician. During his time with the police department, Bill worked his way up from badge #35 to badge #1.

During his time on the police force he helped solve many high-profile cases including conviction of a Charles Manson accomplice and apprehending kidnapper Emanual Garrett. Bill retired from the Concord Police Department in 1991. He had many stories to tell of his time with the Concord Police Department including the time he drove the impeached Concord Mayor home in a paddy wagon, the time he was involved in a shoot-out, and the time he started the Concord Police Department baseball team and got his good friend Ted Williams to come and give the team pointers.

Upon hearing of Bill’s retirement from the police department, Chief Justice David Brock hired Bill to establish the New Hampshire Supreme Court security team and security procedures. The system Bill developed is still in use today. Bill was assigned badge #1 and served the New Hampshire Supreme Court for 28 years, retiring from the court in 2018. When he retired, the court also retired his badge number.

Bill was an active individual. He owned and maintained property rentals. Bill also established, and was the sole proprietor of, Bear Hill Landscaping for over 20 years, along with a second landscaping business, Heaven on Earth Landscaping Villages of Florida. Bill also enjoyed playing trumpet, collecting and driving classic cars, and offshore racing. During one race, Bill was involved in a traumatic boating accident. His was brought back to life and his full recovery is nothing short of miraculous. After this event, Bill began traveling around the United States, Mexico, and Canada sharing stories of God’s protection and healing.

Bill was also an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed golfing with his many friends on courses around Concord. Bill also enjoyed big game hunting and fishing with his friend, the late Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox.

Bill’s life was full of wonderful stories – including the time or the time he started the Concord Police Department baseball team.

Bill was a member of the First Baptist Church, now Centerpointe, of Concord for over 50 years.

Bill is survived and missed by his wife, Martha (Howard) Barnard; a sibling; nieces and nephews; along with many beloved family members and friends, including his dear friend Charlotte Johnson. He was predeceased by his parents, and sisters Margaret Mulcahey, Barbara Henderson, and Betty Ford.

Services will be announced shortly, please check the website for updates.

For additional reading, please see the Concord Monitor: https://www.concordmonitor.com/Sometimes-law-enforcement-officers-have-a-lot-to-say-18521760

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.bennettfuneral.com for the Barnard family.