| Date of Birth | November 11, 1943 |
| Passed Away | May 14, 2019 |
| Place of Residence | Hornell |
| Home State | N.Y. |
| Service Date | May 20, 1019 |
| Service Time | 10:30 a.m. |
| Service Location | United Presbyterian Church, Hornell |
| Interment Location | Bath National Cemetery |
Douglas Michael Barnard, Major USAF Retired
HORNELL-Douglas Michael Barnard, Major USAF Retired, 75 of Van Campen Road, passed away early Tuesday evening (May 14, 2019) at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Bath.
Born on November 14, 1943 in Hartford, CT, he was the son of the late Janet (Jones) Barnard and Charles Barnard; Doug was raised by his grandmother, Sally Barnard.
Doug graduated from Weare High School (New Hampshire) in 1961. After enlisting in the US Air Force, he attended the US Air Force Academy Prep School and the US Air Force Academy from which he graduated in 1968.
A Navigation and Electronics warfare officer, Doug trained for 1 1/2 years on T/ET-29s before flying C-47s in Viet Nam and Thailand. Upon returning to the States he was an instructor for ET-29s at the Electronic Warfare School and finished off the flying portion of his career in F4-Cs and –G s in Okinawa. Doug was stationed at Victorville, CA as a Wild Weasel, “ferreting out†SAM and AAA radars. His last four years in the Air Force were at Ramstein Air Base in Germany at USAFE HQ. (where in 1984, he met and married his wife, Jo, in Basel, Switzerland)
He retired in July 1986, returned to school and received his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Boston University.
In 1990, Doug devoted his time and love to helping raise his nephew, Nash, as well as being the rock and support for his wife as she pursued her career.
Upon returning from Germany in 1991, Doug adopted Hornell as his home and became very active in the “Maple City†Community. As a faithful member of the United Presbyterian Church, he has been a Deacon, Elder and Trustee as well as an adult Sunday School Teacher. Doug always made sure the Crèche scene was proudly displayed yearly in front of the Church and was often seen doing kitchen duty for various Church activities and the Sunday Meals Program. He served as the Faith In Action Coordinator and a regular volunteer
Doug was also a very proud member and secretary of the Hornell Kiwanis Club. He thoroughly enjoyed organizing the Highway Clean-up and being “on-air†during Radio Days as well as participating in all the Club’s activities. He also spent many summers working backstage with the Rotary Club Musicals.
Doug had a passion for trains! He was definitely a, “geekâ€, about train lore, the Erie Railroad and N/T TRAC model trains. He belonged to the Hornell Model Train Club and the Twin Tiers NTRAC Club. He also served as a docent for the Hornell Depot Museum and was a Board Member.
Doug is survived by his wife, Jo; nephew, Nash Bennett; sister, Leslie Young; aunt, Win Barnard; brother-in-law, Ross Bennett; godchildren Mitchell Jackson, Tony Carrington, Sierra Carrington and Adrianna Harmonson; cousins, Susan (Michael) Ellsworth, David (Louise) Barnard; his Church Family and many special friends he has met throughout life to include his Friday night movie buddies Roger & Jaxson Utz and fellow ferroequinologist Bill Mammosser.
The Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., in Hornell is honored to serve the family of Douglas Michael Barnard.
Calling hours are 1-4 p.m. Sunday (May 19, 2019) at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., 285 Main St., Hornell. Friends are invited to join his family in the sanctuary of the United Presbyterian Church, 150 Main St., Hornell where a memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday (May 20, 2019), with the Rev. Katherine Griffis officiating. Committal services, with full military honors, will take place at 2 p.m. Monday at Bath National Cemetery.
The United States flag and the Air Force flag will proudly fly at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc. in recognition of Doug’s military service.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute in his memory to either the United Presbyterian Church or the Sunday Meals Program in care of the United Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 306, Hornell, to Faith In Action, P.O. Box 117, Hornell or to the Hornell Erie Depot Museum, P.O. Box 627, Hornell, N.Y. 14843. Envelopes for memorial contributions will be available at the funeral home.
Online condolences or remembrances of Doug are welcomed on the Facebook page of Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc. or at www.bishopandjohnsonfuneralhome.com.
Dear Jo,
I am so sorry …. Doug was an outstanding man. I know he was your hero. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I will be thinking of you during this time.
Hugs and prayers to you and yours.
Thoughts and prayers for Jo and family.
Dearest Jo,
Your Doug was a wonderful man! We have such fond memories of the two of you. And, we will always remember Doug’s sheer joy and happiness in sharing his love of all things train with us.
May he rest in peace.
Sending you our love.
Bill and Terry
My earliest memories as a child of my cousin were that I thought he was pretty dashing in his dress uniform! He came to visit when he could. I understood early that he was my cousin and pretty important to us. I thought Doug had an exciting life while serving and must have been great at what he did because he retired so young! As I grew older and realized that he served our country for a very long time, during a difficult time in our nation’s history. He deserved that retirement. He reinvented his life and became Doug 2.0 and kept many interests and gave back to the community with all of his heart.
He married a wonderful woman who we love very much too. Doug loved my parents as much as his own and made sure to call every holiday or if it had just been too long. He would joke about how bad he was at keeping up with his family. But the truth was that he genuinely cared and loved each of us.
I met Doug and Jo in Germany in 1986, still at the height of the Cold War, as a “fresh” young refugee from behind the Iron Curtain. They provided selfless help and support in my hour of need when making a difficult transition from my old life in the East to the new one in the West. I never forgot their kindness, especially Doug’s help, and over next 33 years I called on both whenever and wherever I could, to express my lasting gratitude. Doug will be sorely missed and I will never forget him. Deepest condolences to Jo and family.