William Siebert Barnes, Jr.

Born on August 20, 1937, in Tyro, North Carolina, Bill was the son of Siebert Barnes and Mildred Ruth Barnes. After graduating from Churchland High School in 1955, he pursued a B.S. in Industrial Arts/Technical Option at North Carolina State University, graduating in 1960. This launched a lifelong career and passion for material handling engineering—a field he would come to shape in significant ways.

Bill began his professional life by measuring tobacco land for the State of North Carolina, but his path soon led to military service. He entered Officer Candidate School with the U.S. Navy and served aboard the Navy cruiser CA 148 from July 1960 to June 1963, including during the pivotal Cuban Missile Crisis. He was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant JG and recognized for his contributions during that tense period in American history.

Following his military service, Bill worked for Genesco in Nashville as an industrial engineer. It was in Nashville where he met the love of his life, Lucy Love Barnes. The two were married on November 27, 1964, at Belmont Methodist Church—a spiritual home that remained central to their lives and where they were devoted members of the Graham Inquirers Class.

Bill’s professional journey continued with roles at The Bailey Company and Rapistan before he found his true home at Ingram Book Company. As Vice President of Corporate Engineering, Bill oversaw the expansion of Ingram's distribution footprint from three centers to seven and one returns processing center, totaling over two million square feet. His visionary leadership was instrumental in integrating barcoding, radio frequency technology, and label printing into Ingram’s operations, enabling the company's smooth transition into the digital age of e-commerce. Several of Ingram’s distribution centers still utilize packaging machinery that Bill designed.

Even after retirement, Bill’s mind and hands were never idle. In 2000, he founded Innovative Material Handling, Inc. (IMHI), consulting on specialized glue machines and warehouse conveyor designs. His post-retirement consulting work—including partnerships with firms like Solertis in Atlanta—continued to bear his hallmark: practical brilliance and innovative efficiency.

Bill’s life was not defined by career alone. He and Lucy built a beautiful family together and raised two sons: William S. Barnes III (Billy) born in 1968 and James Lee Barnes (Jimmy) born in 1971. Together, Bill and Lucy shared more than 60 years of marriage marked by deep devotion and shared adventure. Their travels took them to nearly every continent, from the savannas of Kenya to the fjords of Norway, to the coasts of Japan and the castles of Ireland and Scotland. At home in Nashville, they were fixtures in their community, volunteering with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Luke 14:12 Soup Kitchen, and the Community Care Fellowship.

An avid tinkerer, Bill loved working on his beloved Sunbeam Alpine and Mercedes, and he delighted in daily crossword puzzles—often claiming defeat to Lucy, who kept the friendly competition alive. Together, they celebrated holidays with a treasured circle of friends for over three decades - particularly at their annual Christmas parties, filling their home with laughter, warmth, and the love of many rescued pets, including Sammie, Maggie, Ali, and Molly.

Bill will be remembered not only for his professional contributions but also for his kindness, gentle humor, generous spirit, and unshakable integrity. His legacy endures in the lives of those he touched—as an engineer, a veteran, a husband, a father, and a friend.

He is survived by his beloved wife Lucy, his sons Billy and Jimmy, a younger sister Bettie, and the countless friends and colleagues whose lives he enriched.

A memorial service will be held at Roesch-Patton Funeral Home in Brentwood, Tennessee, on Friday, August 22, 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to ASPCA, or to the causes Bill and Lucy held dear.