News

By Steven J. Smith

    BOCA RATON — Although some people might consider themselves “Jacks of all trades,” Chuck Barnes proved he was a master of many.
    Born in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Nov. 18, 1938, Mr. Barnes achieved youthful fame as a track star at Sexton High School in Lansing, Mich., breaking the city record and ranking second in the state in the half-mile, according to his wife, Cris.
    “It was quite a competition between him and the fellow who ultimately won that track meet,” she said. “It was an experience that stayed with him all his life. Chuck was stretching on the grass before the race and the guy came up to him, stood over him and said, ‘Barnes, you’re my biggest problem here, but at the same time you’re my biggest impetus. Because I know you’re going to give me that last push I need to win.’ He had a way of succeeding while pushing others to success as well.”
    Success followed Mr. Barnes through his college years and into business. The first of his family to earn a degree, he graduated from Michigan State University in 1960 with a bachelor’s of science degree. He became a civil engineer and found a prolific career in the construction industry as a general contractor and eventual president of the construction firm Foster, Schermerhorn and Barnes.
    “He was chief estimator for that company,” Mrs. Barnes said. “That was his preference. It was a large company of about 200 employees.”
    She said Mr. Barnes developed exceptional skills at corporate law over the years, even though he never formally studied to be an attorney.
    “This knowledge was instrumental in dealing with several lawsuits he was involved in,” she said. “He became very knowledgeable in this area and it helped him win those cases. There were also cases in which he actually assisted attorneys and they recommended that he become a litigator for corporate law in his retirement.”
    A lover of nature and an enthusiast of science, Mr. Barnes had a curious mind about the world and the universe.
    “Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking were his favorite scientists,” Mrs. Barnes said. “He was profoundly into the study of space and the cosmos.”
    He was also a big sports fan, she added, having owned and managed a recreational baseball team at one point, and became a top racquetball player in Michigan.
    After retiring to Boca Raton in the late ’70s, he became a passionate follower of the Miami Heat and the Miami Dolphins, though he continued to follow his college team, as well.
    “The night before he died he was watching the Final Four,” Mrs. Barnes said. “He was thrilled that Michigan State had gotten in.”
    He was also a fine card player and cribbage expert, she said.
    “He used to play cribbage at the construction company during lunch hours,” she said. “He honed his talent and when he came to Florida he joined the Moose Lodge in [West] Palm Beach. He competed in tournaments sanctioned by the American Cribbage Congress all around the country and actually became a national champion in 2010.”
    Mr. Barnes died in Boca Raton on April 12 due to complications from a urinary tract infection. He is survived by his wife, his mother, two brothers, a sister, four children, nine grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
    A memorial service was held at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton on April 15. A separate service will be held at a later date in Michigan for family and friends from the Midwest.
    In lieu of flowers memorial gifts can be directed to St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33429 or the National Audubon Society (audubon.org).
    “He’ll be remembered for his heart and his wit,” Mrs. Barnes said. “He was a good man, there for anyone who needed to talk to him. He was fair, very nonjudgmental. If you came to him, he had words of consolation and strength. He was our rock. He was our go-to person. A real patriarch, in every sense of the word. We’re going to miss him terribly.”