William Augustus Barnes Sr.

William (Bill) Augustus Barnes of Stone Mountain, Georgia, aged 89, peacefully passed to be with our Lord on Thursday, March 5, 2020 after a long illness resulting from a stroke. He was born March 12, 1930 to Barnette G. Barnes and Ruth Rice Barnes in Decatur, GA and was predeceased by sisters Bonnie Brineman, Dorothy Coleman, and Annette Brent. Bill was married to Zilphia (Zip) Hatch in May of 1950 who predeceased him in 1990. Bill and Zip had four children.

A lifelong resident of Decatur and Stone Mountain, Bill graduated from Avondale High School in 1948. Attending Georgia Tech on a baseball scholarship, he graduated in 1953 and immediately served his country in the United States Air Force. Bill was deployed to Alaska, not yet a state, to serve in radar reconnaissance during the Korean War. Discharged in 1955, he worked one year with Lockheed Aircraft before beginning a long career until retirement with Carrier Corporation. As charter member of the First Baptist Church of Avondale Estates, Bill served as a deacon and active member until suffering a debilitating stroke in February of 2016.

Bill is survived by three of his four children, 3 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren: Brenda Barnes Fletcher (Al Behrendt) of Satsuma, Florida; William Augustus Barnes, Jr. (Kathy Weaver Barnes) of Canton, Georgia, and Robert Benjamin Barnes (Jan Gerrald Barnes) of Decatur, Georgia. He is also survived by grandchildren Sarah Barnes Medley (Jeffrey) of Canton, GA, Robert Benjamin Barnes, Jr., of Lawrenceville, GA, and Abigail Martine Barnes of Portland, OR. His great grandchildren are Tate Medley and Zoey Medley of Canton, GA. His daughter, Rebecca Sue Barnes of Lawrenceville, Georgia predeceased him in 2005.

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