Tony Ray Barnett

Tony Ray Barnett, Sr. left his earthly home on July 30, 2012 at the age of 59 years. Tony was the first born son of Bobby Ray Barnett and Betty Wood Barnett, born Dec. 20, 1952 in Palestine, TX. His parents moved to the Houston-Pasadena, TX area when he was 2 yrs old. The marriage was resolved when Tony was 9 yrs old. Tony grew up to be a tall, dark and handsome young man and a very hard worker. He and his younger brother had a paper route when they were 10 and 12 years old. When Tony was in Jr. High School he worked after school and weekends at a family friend’s grocery store and when reaching the age of 16, he started to work for Kroger grocery and still maintained an A-B average in school. He bought his first car then, a ’65 Mustang.

Tony joined the Army shortly after graduating from High School and did his basic training in Missouri and from there he went to San Antonio, TX, where he trained for the Medical Corps. He was then sent overseas to Germany where he spent the next 3 ½ years as an Army medic. When he earned leave time, he traveled to Austria and Holland and described seeing many beautiful sights.

Tony came home to Pasadena after his discharge and soon enrolled in San Jacinto College where he took courses for the Electrical Trade and worked at this profession for 31 years.

Tony loved the country (The Great Outdoors) he called it. He enjoyed fishing, deer hunting, and coon hunting. He was also an avid researcher of Genealogy and spent many hours documenting the history of our ancestors. He has many notebooks of his research that will be passed down to his beloved children and grandchildren; and speaking of grandchildren, his happiest moments was watching them play and when they climbed in his lap and called him PawPaw, he was all smiles.

Tony is survived by 4 children, Summer Kinard and husband Andrew of Durham, NC.; Alyssa Avila and husband Daniel of Rosenberg, TX., Kristin Conley and husband Jadel of Pasadena, TX. and Tony Ray Barnett, Jr. of Pasadena, TX.; his grandchildren Michael, Anastasia, Jaiden, Sophia, Brianna, and Lucas; wife Tina Terry; mother Betty Ray; brothers Joe Barnett and Ronnie Ray and sister Pamela League. He is preceded in death by his father Bobby Barnett; step father Wayne Ray; maternal grandparents Luella and Sam Wood; paternal grandparents Nettie and Jim Barnett and Mamie and Lester Ray; 2 infant nephews, Joshua and Zachary Ray.

Funeral services were held at Grand View Funeral Home in Pasadena, TX on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 10 a.m. with a military graveside service in Siloam Cemetery in Buffalo, TX. Alan Alsdorf, James Duke Ervin, Chris Ervin, Tom Payne, Jadel Conley and Daniel Avila assisted as Pallbearers. To express condolences please visit www.grandviewfunerals.com

Tony, we will miss your warm smile, our talks with you on your back porch, your encouragement when we were sad and so many other things that made up your wonderful personality.