Daniel Barnett

Daniel Richard Barnett, 63, of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, passed away Wednesday, June 9, 2010, in Westminster, Colorado, while attending memorial services for his father. Dan was born September 5, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Daniel Richard “Dick” Barnett and Martha Fern (Hollenbeck) Barnett. The oldest of four children, Dan seemed like a “rock star” to his many younger siblings and cousins—an excellent baseball, football and basketball athlete, and a handsome young man who always had a pretty girl on his arm and a cool car to go cruising. After graduating Westminster High School in 1964, Dan started as wide receiver for the Air Force Prep Academy during an undefeated season, after which he served in the Air Force in southern California during the Vietnam War. Upon his honorable discharge from the armed forces, Dan returned to Denver, where he met his future wife, Janie (Ayers) Barnett, in 1970. Dan and Janie married in 1973 at Daniel’s Park, south of Denver. They then moved to San Diego, California, where Dan worked at the UCSD Bookstore and enjoyed fishing in the kelp beds off of La Jolla. Their first daughter, Brooke Anne, was born in 1977 in La Jolla; their second daughter, Lyndsey Erin, in 1978. The family moved to Roland, Iowa, in 1979. Between 1979 and 1992, Dan worked in a series of managerial positions at the Iowa State University Bookstore and became a die-hard Cyclones fan. He was also a lifelong fan of the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Cardinals—then, later, the Colorado Rockies. During that time, Dan played in softball and volleyball leagues and taught and coached his daughters in their sports. From 1992 until 1998, Dan worked as a truck driver for a road construction company in the summers and attended university part-time in the winters, studying transportation and logistics. With their daughters in college, Dan and Janie sold the big, old house they’d lived in for 18 years and moved to Washington, DC, in 1999. In semi-retirement, Dan worked on and off at bookstores and shipping businesses. He loved to take his Grady White cruising on the Potomac River, fishing but not necessarily catching. Dan moved back to Denver in 2006, where he reconnected with his father, brothers and sister, and reunited with his high-school sweetheart, Susan Coursen. Dan’s first grandchild, Camila Grace, was born in Denver in 2007, and Su and “Bampa” bought a house nearby and hung a special banana swing in their backyard just for her. Dan’s second granddaughter, Cedar Grace, was born in Missoula, Montana, in 2010. Dan and Su traveled to meet her when she was just six weeks old and took her on her first walk in a cedar forest. They took clippings from the cedars to make into bonsai trees, one of Dan’s favorite creative pursuits. Dan had innate artistic ability, which also found expression in his garden, his stained glass, his home improvement projects, such as building gorgeous wood decks and fences, and his classic car restorations, of which there were many. He had a distinct sense of space, line and balance. Dan loved to spend time outside. Each autumn, he rose early on bitterly cold Iowa mornings to go pheasant hunting with his gifted Springer spaniels Willie and Maggie. Each spring, he planted a vegetable garden. Many summer evenings he could be found in his backyard, watering or mowing, usually with a beer in his hand—and his daughters’ passion for gardening is one of his strongest legacies. He also appreciated—and taught his girls to appreciate—the wild beauty of thunderstorms. He often took a drive to watch a “light show,” and he would park on a gravel road where he could see the sky light up and listen to the crack of thunder. Dan found great pleasure in simple things like thunderstorms: “truck-driver’s” coffee, blues music, a well-grilled ribeye, fresh sushi, a good microbrew, the daily crossword. He was never in a hurry. He always took the long way, the scenic route. He would stop if he saw a hardware or lumber store, a nursery or a greenhouse, or a wild asparagus patch. He lingered in checkout lines to exchange stories with cashiers. He leaned against his old Ford, telling improbable tales to friends’ friends, to neighbors and passers-by, welcoming and making friends of strangers. He is survived by his daughters Brooke Barnett (Todd Skibbe) of Alberton, MT, and Lyndsey Barnett (Miguel Hernandez) of Denver; his granddaughters, Camila and Cedar; his partner, Su Coursen, of Wheat Ridge, CO; his former wife, Janie Ayers Barnett, of Washington, DC; his brother Steve Barnett (Judy) of Castle Rock, CO, sister Ginny Barnett, of Westminster, CO, and brother Tony Barnett (Sandy), of Evergreen, CO; many aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, brothers- and sisters-in law, and friends. He is preceded in death by his mother and father. He was cremated and his ashes will be scattered in places that he loved. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to accounts established for Dan’s granddaughters, Camila Hernandez and Cedar Barnibbe. Photos, videos and memories of Dan can be viewed and shared at http://danbarnett.shutterfly.com/ Posted by All Veterans Funeral & Cremation.