Charles' obituary, appearing in the Jackson Citizen Patriot newspaper:

Charles Aaron Barnes
Passed away at the Medical Care Facility, Sept. 16, 1985, age 84 years. Surviving are his beloved wife Esther; four daughters, Mrs. Marie Beebe, Mrs. Helen Lammers, Mrs. Lois Jackson, Mrs. Dorothy Davis; two sons, William Barnes Sr. and David Barnes; 22 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. Helen Leggett and Mrs. Jennie Paige; one sister-in-law, Mrs. Hilma Barnes; several nieces and nephews. He was a life long member of the Bennett Community Church. Mr. Barnes is at the Chas. J. Burden and Son Funeral Home, 1806 E. MI Ave., where services will be held Thursday 1:00 p.m. Interment Woodland. Visitation Wed. 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m.
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The following is from a letter written to C.W. Paige on October 2, 1985, by Esther Barnes.

Dear nephew-

I was deeply moved by your beautiful card and expression of sympathy. I wish to thank you also for the check. We are using the money that has been given us for a stone as a memorial. There has never been a marker on our lot in Woodland Cemetery, so we are planning on getting one soon. Everyone has been busy taking care of things and helping me with everything. There have been so many papers to sign and cards to send. So far we have sent 78 cards and I have some more to write.

The funeral home was filled and it made me feel good that so many remembered him. He had been living on nitro pills for 3 years to keep his heart going, and it finally got worn out and quit. He was in quite a lot of pain toward the last. He is at rest now.

I am sending one of the cards from the funeral. Everything was beautiful.

Aunt Esther and family
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Officiating at Charles Aaron Barnes' funeral was his former brother-in-law Rev. Howard O. Paige of Pleasant Lake, MI. Nephew Rev. Robert P. Garrett Sr. sang "Because He lives." The following are excerpts from Rev. Paige's funeral oration:

Charles Aaron Barnes was born July 29, 1901, in Chicago; first of 4 children to William H. Barnes and Nellie Bliss Barnes. Attended school in Chicago; belonged to a High School group called Cadets and belonged to the Boy Scouts.

It is said in Chicago the Pullman Co. opened up an area for gardening during the war, and Charlie discovered a liking for gardening which inspired a family move to Horton, MI in 1918.

He was married October 3, 1921 to Esther Harmon of Jackson, and they established a home on Marion Rd. south of Vandercook Lake. While living at this location he helped organize and teach Sunday School in the Vandercook Lake Baptist Church. And later, after moving to Sandstone Rd., he became affiliated with the Bennett Community Church, of which he and Esther remained members the rest of their lives.

Eight children blessed their home: two were lost in a few months due to pneumonia. Six are now living, along with 22 grand and 34 great grandchildren.

I have known the family since about 1925 through Jennie, his sister, and my early recollections include the 2-acre lot on Marion Rd. being converted from sand to peach trees, raspberries, and a vegetable patch, all of which he shared generously with us all. Charlie showed considerable carpentry skills when he assisted his brother Tom to erect a home on Munith Rd.

In the course of his working years he worked for Goodyear, Sparks-Withington, and the railroad, where he served as cook for a section crew. He also served a time with the Dawn Donut company establishing outlets reaching out as far as St. Louis, MO. Fate in the form of a tornado left him stranded in St. Louis without train fare to get home. [On September 29, 1927 a freak tornado hit St. Louis, MO. Lasting only five minutes, it killed 87 people, injured 1,500 and destroyed more than 1,000 homes. C.W.Paige, from "The Bicentennial Almanac."] It then took work on both Charlieís and Estherís part to earn transportation back home. These were the days of 25¢ beef steak, 8¢ loaf of bread, 5¢ ice cream cones, and 75¢ full dinner with pie and coffee at Rumlerís.

When I came into the ministry and made rounds of hospitals, etc., I visited him often at the Hiland Rest Home, and afterwards at the Medical Care Facility for about two years, where I called each Tuesday as part of my visiting routine. The cap he continuously wore due to sinus sensitivity came to the nursesí attention. They told him if he didnít wear it all the time the women would really go for him. His response was "why do you think I wear it?"

Esther Lois (Harmon) Barnes died at Jackson's Foote Hospital, leaving behind six children, twenty-two grandchildren, forty-two great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Esther survived a seven hour operation for cancer in 1973 by seventeen years. At the time of the operation she was seventy-four years old. She was born in Angola, IN, and during her life she had been a teacher in IN and MI, and retired from the NY Central Railroad.

Charles W. Paige wrote the following in 1996:
Mom and I visited Aunt Esther May 31st, 1990, just a few months before Esther died. I noted in my vacation journal that "...Aunt Esther was extremely hard of hearing, but her mind was clear, and thinking keen."

Esther had a hard life. But I think she found it tolerable because of her and Chuck's remarkable and appreciative descendants. I vividly remember her frequent and wide smile, and laughter.

Esther didn't let herself get left behind as old age approached. She stayed in the thick of family life until the end, even surviving a 7-hour cancer operation in 1973 and a truck ride to Texas and back from MI in the latter 1980s. An extremely thoughtful and hard worker; loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother; and self-sacrificing wife, Aunt Esther was and is a source of good influence in all those who knew her.
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Esther is buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Barnes:

An open house 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday in the Tompkins Town Hall marks the golden wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Barnes, 7320 N. Sandstone Road.

Mr. Barnes and the former Esther L. Harman were married October 3, 1921 at Jackson. They are parents of Mrs. Warren Beebe, Mrs. Paul Lammers, Mrs. Donald E. Jackson, Mrs. Stephen B. Davis, William A. Barnes Sr., and David S. Barnes, all of the Jackson area.

There also are 22 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Mr. Barnes, now retired, was employed in factories and farming. Mrs. Barnes is a former NY Central employee. They are affiliated with the Bennett Community Church.

(They would be married for nearly 64 years.)
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Chuck and Esther had purchased seven copies of the 1976 "Barnes Record" genealogy and one 1975 reunion picture.

Marie is a trained nurse. In this capacity she was able to be of much assistance to her mother, after Esther underwent extensive surgery in 1973 and required frequent attention for the remainder of her life. She also looks in on her Aunt Jennie (Barnes) Paige of Jackson to visit and check Jennie's blood pressure.

The Beebes are farmers near Jackson, MI.

Dorothy's funeral took place February 18, 2003 at the Nichols-Arthur Funeral Home. The officiating clergy was Reverend Robert Garrett (husband of her first cousin Charlene (Paige) Garrett. Organist was Judy Carr. Interment of her cremains was at the Oak Grove Cemetery, Napoleon, Michigan.

Born To Fly:

In November of 1971, William Aaron Barnes Sr. sold his Cessna 170 airplane. The Cessna was a victim of skyrocketing inflation, fuel prices, and annual inspection fees. Its sale ended a 16-year era during which "Billy" had always had his own plane. Two things it didn't end were Billy's love for flying and his family's memories of the adventures they all shared for so long.

You might say it all started when Billy was still in the crib. He'd fly his hands around and make professional landings, thus convincing his mother that he'd one day be a pilot. At an early age Billy would ride his bike to the airport to watch in fascination all the aircraft. His first flying lessons began at age 15 years, financed by the sale of some milk and a cow. When those funds ran out he went to work as a line man for Zantops Flying Service at Reynold's Field in Jackson. He started September 2, 1950, and on October 1, 1956, received his Pilot's license; the goal interrupted by several events including service in the U.S. Army After release from the Army on April 7, 1955, Billy sold his house and bought the first plane, a Cessna 120.

In the years that followed, Billy, his wife Florence, and their two children William Aaron Jr. and Zandra Denise shared many flying experiences together. Billy Jr. later wrote the account of his father's flying career in a short story entitled "Flying from the Cock-Pit," written in 1973. The following is an excerpt/paraphrase from that story, taking place in the winter of 1962.

"During all the years of flying Dad made quite a few trips for Yardman Inc. of Jackson. But of all the trips, I dare say this had to be the most daring and exciting. One time my father was flying some big-shots from Yardman and one of their sons to Springfield, Ill. It snowed so hard that the airport was only open to IFR traffic. Asking permission to land, he was requested to take a holding pattern."

The next day the newspaper read:

"Light Aircraft Lands Safely Near Cantrall"
By: Robert Estill

"A light plane running low on fuel made an emergency landing in a snow packed field near Cantrall about 7 p.m. Sunday with all four passengers walking uninjured from the downed craft. The pilot of the single engine Cessna one seventy, William Barnes of Jackson, MI was en route to Springfield with three other Jackson, MI people when he was forced to ditch his plane. The twenty-nine-year-old pilot said he was flying a holding pattern over the area waiting for clearance from Capitol Airport when he noticed the fuel shortage and ëbegan looking for a place to set his craft down.í

"Capitol Airport authorities explained that when visibility is less than three miles as it was during the snowfall Sunday incoming aircraft are required to fly in a holding pattern five miles from the airport until they can get a clearance. Barnes apparently didn't consider his fuel shortage an emergency, airport authorities said, and didn't request priority. Aware of the fuel condition and the poor visibility Barnes said he picked out the field in the event he had to make a forced landing. Barnes, who has been flying as a hobby since he was seventeen, said the landing was normal despite the fact the snow was a foot deep. He credited the plane's tricycle landing gear for his safe landing in a field near the farmhouse of Carl Engle, about a mile east of Cantrall. The plane wasn't damaged and he plans to fly it back to Jackson, Mich., today. . . ."

"At least the landing made good an assuring boast the pilot said he always made to his wife before making a flight. ëI always told her,í Barnes stated, ëthat if the power ever failed or I ran into any trouble, I could put it down in anyone's backyard.í"