William H. Barnes Jr.

William Heard Barnes, Jr., at the age of 68, was called home to be with the Lord on Saturday, February 1, 2020.   He was one of four children born to the late Rev. William Heard Barnes, Sr. and Louise Trigg-Barnes on December 14, 1951 in Charleston, SC.

Raised in Charleston, Williams’ father was a Presiding Elder Minister over 42 churches in his district where young William got his early start in church.  

He attended Burke High School where he was an active member of the Daltons’ Social Club as well as Mr. Yearbook in 1970.    Upon graduating from High School he attended Wilbur Force University in Seattle, Washington.

After moving to New Jersey, he became a member of First Baptist Church of Anderson in Port Murray, NJ; where he was ordained as a deacon and served on the trustee board as the treasurer for many years.

Early in life, he developed a strong work ethic by starting his career as an orderly for a hospital in Charleston.  For 44 years, William worked at Jersey Central Power and Light until his retirement in April 2018.  During his time there, he was always available to travel to other areas or other states to assist in their utility services during heavy snow storms or inclement weather conditions.

William moved to Bridgewater, New Jersey when he married, Louise who also share the same name as his mother.  They saw the world together through travel.  Their travels would often take them to the Dominican Republic (where everyone called him “Poppy”), Caribbean Islands, California and road trips through the south to sightsee and visit family and friends.  He enjoyed taking cruises and meeting people.  William loved gardening and fixing things around the home.  He even developed a flair for barbecuing and cooking and would share his talents with family and friends at the annual cookout he and Louise would host in their yard.  He loved to hunt and fish and one could always find him at home cheering for his favorite football team the “Giants.”   And no matter how the Giants were performing in the game, he never gave up on them.  His favorite past time was playing Bid Whist cards with his friends whom he met when he first arrived in N. J. over 40 years ago.

In addition to his parents, William was predeceased by two sisters, Veatrice-Barnes and Sylvia Barnes-Gailliard.

He is survived by his loving wife, Louise Bryant-Barnes of Bridgewater, NJ; his brother, Frederick “Fred” Barnes of Charleston, SC;  three daughters by a previous marriage, Courtney Barnes-Morton (Jahmil) of Montclair, NJ, Ashley Barnes-Jefferson (Kevin) of Piscataway, NJ, Whitney Barnes of Montclair, NJ, and Deanna Elmore of Seattle, WA; a step-daughter, Tina Adams (Monroe) of Hillsborough, NJ; four grandchildren,  Mia Morton, Myles Morton, Amaya Jefferson, and Kevin Jefferson, Jr.;  one step-granddaughter, Faith Adams; a sister-in-law, Latricia Bryant of Altadena, CA; a brother-in-law, Charles Bryant (Lynnelle) of Altadena, CA; a niece, Veatrice Green of Charleston, SC; a nephew, Eugene Mays of North Carolina; along with a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

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