Charles Albert Barnett

Charles A. Barnett passed away peacefully Jan. 12 at the age of 98 and was a well-known, well-liked friend to many here in Merced. Born in Riverside, CA on July 9th, 1927, to Alden Anson “Bo” Barnett and Jesse Mae Smith Barnett, Chuck was raised in Temecula, CA with two older brothers, Glen and Walter, before the family later moved to Coalinga. Many life-long friends developed during this time at Coalinga High School, who often vacationed together and wrote monthly letters known as “the Round Robin” which circulated to five families for over 50 years.

At 18, Chuck joined the Navy, serving from 1945 to 1946 on the USS Dayton, a Cruiser in the Pacific and the Panama Canal until the Navy downsized with the conclusion of WWII. He came home to Coalinga and enrolled in classes at Fresno State University while wooing his high school sweetheart Neville, who was studying music at the University of the Pacific, Stockton.

Soon he started working for Pacific Bell, experiencing every job from lineman, installer, repairman, working his way up the ladder. At the age of 28, Chuck was promoted as Repair Foreman and transferred to Merced with his new wife Neville and young son Brad, and soon his daughter Cheryl was born the next year. In 1956, Chuck was in charge of Castle Air Force Base Communication, where he witnessed the arrival of the first B52 Strategic Air Command Bomber land on the airstrip. 1957, responsibilities switched to maintenance & repair service for 19 regional offices. In 1961, he provided “global communication” requirements for President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Yosemite, along with his dedication ceremony of the San Luis Dam Reservoir. In 1965, the change-over from operator assisted calls to direct distance dialing moved Chuck into the Central Office as Chief Equipment Manager. In 1978, various management level positions lead Chuck to numerous locations from Bakersfield to Modesto, through the Fresno Division, overseeing conversion to advanced communication systems. In 1980, Chuck came back to the Downtown Office here in Merced on 18th Street as Supervising Chief Switchman, the same year he was responsible for communications for President Carter’s 4th of July pre-campaign appearance and town hall meeting at Merced College. In 1983, he was offered the “golden handshake” with an early retirement bonus at age 56. As he liked to say, “after 36 years, 4 months, 11 days & 4 hours - not taking a single sick day!” His job was complete, seeing communication equipment move into the modern era. Six months later in 1984, the Pacific Bell monopoly was broken up, and AT&T has since morphed several more times into SBC Global.

Being a true outdoorsman, his life-long passion was hunting and fishing alone or among a handful of lifelong friends. Selected to thin the herd of Antelope in Modoc County, hunting Elk in Colorado, or fishing off Cabo San Lucas, catching Marlin off Molokai, Salmon in Morro Bay, Stripped Bass in San Luis Reservoir, or enjoying the annual Bass Lake Fishing Derby, he was at one with nature.

Above all Chuck and Neville loved spending time at the family Bass Lake cabin. Often out the door before sunrise with his faithful labrador dog, trolling in his Bass Buggy Pontoon boat, he brought home beautiful kokanee salmon or rainbow trout for dinner. And whether it was duck or dove season, cooking and entertaining friends to a gourmet meal was always his favorite activity. Many special evenings were spent feeding friends, pairing dinner with the perfect wine with Mom’s beautiful candle-lit table. They cherished their numerous friends and bridge group who met for cocktails, dinner and bridge monthly for many decades.

Traveling was another favorite pastime, including France, Spain, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, the Caribbean, and both the Southwest and Northwest, to name a few. Neville passed away in 2008, after almost 60 years of marriage together. Charles is survived by his son Brad Barnett (Janis) and daughter Cheryl Barnett (Pete Etchegaray).

The family would like to thank all the staff At Haven Home, especially Myra Torres, and Hinds Lifecare, Mary Mullen and Daisy. A “Celebration of a Life Well Lived” with a few gregarious stories of Chuck is planned for Friday, February 6, at Stratford Evans at 11:00 a.m.