Dean W. Barnett, 96, of Spartanburg, passed away on August 9, 2023, at White Oak Manor in Spartanburg.
Dean was born to the late Russell and Mamie Barnett in Campobello, SC on October 11, 1926. He graduated from Campobello High School in 1944 and, with his father’s acceptance, joined the U.S. Navy at age 17. He was assigned to the service boat USS Samar. On her maiden voyage, the USS Samar was steaming toward China in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, when the Japanese surrendered, and the war ended. He continued his service on USS Samar after the war, with extended duty in Shanghai, later receiving an honorable discharge in July 1946.
Dean married Katherine (Taylor) in 1949, and they lived together in Spartanburg for seventy-three years. He is survived by his sons: Wren Barnett of Mars Hill, NC; Rusty Barnett of Spartanburg; and Michael Barnett (wife, Kay) of Madison, NC. He is also survived by six beloved grandchildren: Sam, Katie, Sarah, Becca, Andrew, and Lewis; three great-grandchildren: River, Marcelle, and Mona; and many nieces and nephews.
Dean was predeceased by his brother Jack Barnett (Spartanburg) and sister Virginia Shattuck (La Jolla, CA).
Dean was a Shriner and Mason. He and Katherine were founding members of Covenant Presbyterian Church, and became close friends with its first pastor, Rev. Gil Clary. Beginning in 1968, he has been a long-standing member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. He loved the Lord.
Upon his return home to Spartanburg after the war, Dean joined Hall Hardware as an in-house salesman. In 1958 he took a sales job with Spartanburg Concrete Company - later to become Metromont Materials. Dean grew to become one of Metromont’s top salesmen. In 1978, Dean continued his sales career in concrete products, joining Chapman Concrete, where he enjoyed working until his retirement at age 82. Dean was a natural salesman who never met a stranger and was always quick with a joke and a laugh. In his prime as a salesman, it seemed that Dean knew, and was friends with almost everyone in Spartanburg, particularly if they were associated with the construction business. As he was blessed to live such a long and full life, this meant that he outlived most of his contemporary family and friends; nevertheless, he will be greatly missed by those remaining.
Family visitation will be from 1:00 to 1:45 pm Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 309 Fernwood Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29307. Funeral services follow at 2 p.m., conducted by the Reverend Dale Rawlings. Burial, with military honors, will be in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 1300 Fernwood-Glendale Road, Spartanburg, SC 29307.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Giving, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at www.stjude.org/memorial or to Mobile Meals Service, P.O. Box 461, Spartanburg, SC 29304 or online at http://www.mobile-meals.org/donate.php
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
1:00 - 1:45 pm (Eastern time)
Westminister Presbyterian Church
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Starts at 2:00 pm (Eastern time)
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
3:00 - 4:00 pm (Eastern time)
Greenlawn Memorial Gardens- Spartanburg
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