Grant O. Barnes

Grant Ormsby Barnes passed away December 22, 2018 at the age of 84. He was born in Arkport, NY on July 17, 1934. He was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert John Barnes and Dorothy Ormsby Barnes, his older brother, Charles Herbert Barnes, and more recently his wife of 52 years, Ann MacVicar Barnes. He is survived by his twin brother, Graham Burdick Barnes and many nieces and nephews. Grant was very active and competitive in high school sports. As a teenager, he worked with his brothers on the muckland vegetable farm with their father. He loved the outdoors and in his spare time he enjoyed hunting and fishing with his family. Upon graduation from Arkport High School, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Thule, Greenland, located north of the Arctic Circle. In 1957, he went to work for the New York Telephone Company as a lineman and later as an installer technician. After being employed by the telephone company for 21 years, he became eligible to join the volunteer organization, Telephone Pioneers of America (TPA) and served as president of the Capital Adirondack District. He retired from Verizon in 1991. He was also very active in preserving artifacts related to his employment and a charter member (#219) of the National Insulator Association where he hosted the organizations National Convention and Show in Herkimer, NY in 1980. He was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Punta Gorda Elks Lodge # 2606 and a 62-year member of The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, Hornellsville Lodge # 44. Upon retirement to Burnt Store Colony in Punta Gorda, Grant was quickly surrounded by new friends. As a member of the community he volunteered with the Woodpeckers and at community meals. He was never happier (or short of partners) on the dance floor and tennis court or making up a fourth at bridge, He became quite the competitive tennis player competing and most times winning in the senior tournaments in Florida. He was a member of a sailing crew that competed on the west coast of Florida. People who knew Grant would describe him as a nice guy and he will be missed by all.