Walking My Family Line: David John Barnett

David John Barnett

(30 Jul 1951 in Reno, Nevada - 9 Jul 2008 in Richmond,California)

(Note: This is not complete. I still have more documents & pictures & stories that I would like to post and will add them to this, as I find them. If any of you have pictures, stories or memories about David that you would like to share, please email (shanchere@gmail.com) them to me so I can add them. Thanks.)

My Brother

1951 Jul 30 Birth Reno, Washoe, Nevada

Nevada State Journal, 3 Aug 1951, Fri, Page 10

1952

1955

Lexie Lee Baker, David, Danny & Chere

1957

David watering lawn, Main Street house, Yerington, NV

Lexie, David, Velma, babysitter, & her son, Joey at Main Street House, Yerington, NV

Velma was one of the last babysitters we had. At age nine, I convinced my mom that Dan and I could take care of the younger kids. I was sick of babysitters. I remember our first day of babysitting, Dan and I made a box cake. We were so proud of ourselves.

David was a handful He was hyperactive and couldn’t sit still. He was also passive aggressive. No matter what you did to keep him from playing in the street failed. I tried all the persuasions to get him to behave - time outs, standing in the corner, yelling, spanking, bribery, crying - nothing worked. Five minutes later, horns would be honking for him to get out of the street. He could be very stubborn.

David loved to tease people. The problem is he didn’t know when to stop. He would tease you until you were in tears or pulling your hair out. He had a wonderful smile with dimples. He received his dimples by teasing a dog & pulling on its tail when he was four years old. After the bite wounds healed he was left with permanent dimples.

Danny, David, Lexie, Chere (in back) Main Street house, Yerington, NV

David holding new puppy, backyard of Main Street house, Yerington, NV

David always loved dogs. He had a dog named “Sorry”, a black cocker spaniel, which was his fishing partner. Sadly, Sorry was poisoned by the towns dog poisoner. David was hysterical over Sorry’s death and went running screaming down Main Street. In his later years, he had four dogs, a mixed, a German Shepherd, & two Great Danes. Since David seldom weighed more than 135 pounds it was a sight to watch him walking his dogs.

David, Lexie, Danny, Chere (in back), Father Flyhive at Mason Bridge, Mason, NV

Father Flahive would often come by and take our family for rides. This afternoon we were at the bridge in Mason (about three miles from Yerington.) He was full of fun. Sometimes he would take both hands off the steering wheel and steer with his knees. We, however, did not know he was knee steering, and would yell in fright. We could never figure out how he drove with no hands - it must be a miracle we concluded.

Father Flahive would also often come for dinner regularly. Fond memories of him sitting at the kitchen table and playing his fiddle as we all danced around to the music. A favorite of the boys was “Pop Goes The Weasel” where the boys would strip off their shirts and throw them in the air yelling “pop goes the weasel” in glee.

1958

David, 7 years old

1959

David, 8 years old

1960

David, 9 years old

David in backyard of West Street house

1961

Paper-cut portrait of David during our Disneyland trip and visit to see our father

In 1961, Mom took our family and Maxine Hansen, her secretary’s family to Disneyland. Maxine had five children and Mom had four. All eleven of us squeezed into Mom’s station wagon and off we went to Anaheim, CA. Mom had two purposes in mind. She also was taking us to see our father, Barney, in

Los Angeles, whom we had not seen since I was 3 years old. I had a few memories, but the boys did not have any memory of him. They were excited and curious about him. He was in poor health although only 54 years old. He had had a heart attack and a stroke. I sensed Mom did not think he had long for this world and wanted her children to know their father.

The visit with him was exciting. He had gifts and snacks for all of us. In later years David disclosed to me that Barney had said something to him that hurt him deeply and he was less than fond of his father. This saddened me, because if anyone need the support of his father it was David.

The Disneyland part of the trip was so much fun particularly for David. His hyperactivity sent him running ahead of our group. Most of the day was spent looking for David. Finally in pure desperation, Mom upon finding him for the sixth time demanded “Take off your belt!” All of us kids became wide eyed fearing he was going to get the beating of his life. To our surprise, Mom slid the belt through one of his pants loop and made a leash. “I am not going to lose you another time today” Mom told him. She held to her word as she kept him on the leash until we left the park. Of course this was pure torture for a hyperactive kid and I’m sure he would have rather taken a whipping.

The one and only letter between David and his father. (from Kentucky, 1961)

1962

Bart McGee (David’s cousin) & David (11 years old)

David and Bart weren't just cousins. They were best friends, partners in crime, and a daredevil duo. If there was trouble to be found these two would find it. One time when exploring the desert above Weed Heights, they came across a box of dynamite near an abandoned mine. They thought it would be great fun to blow up things, so over a period of months every time they discovered an abandoned house or shack, out came the dynamite. Eventually, Bart’s family moved to Reno and Bart took the remaining dynamite with him and put it the basement of their new house. His father accidently discovered it one day and became so frightened he call the bomb squad to come and remove it. Apparently, old dynamite is very unstable and can explode very easily. This was something the boys didn’t know by my uncle did since he had worked in mines and was a WWII veteran. Both David and Bart loved to live on the adventure and daredevil experiences.

1963

David (age 12) was excited about his drum.

He loved the drums and had a full set in his house all of his life. He carried a set of drumsticks in his back pocket most of the time. He also played the trumpet. He had a good voice and sang at his brother Dan’s wedding. I believe he and Dan inherited their musical talent from their Dad, who played the clarinet & saxophone. (In front of West Street house)

1965

David, age 13

Missey Sherman, David, Carolyn Hansen
8th Grade Graduation

David & Carolyn Hansen
8th Grade Graduation

1966

David in front yard of West Street house. The McGowan house in background.

Boys School

1966

David as a Freshman at Yerington High School (1966)

1967

Christmas dinner at Granna’s house, Reno, NV, (On right, Diana McGee, Chere Barnett, & Holly McGee)

David trying to look hoodsie with his friends shortly before entering the Army

1968 -1970 Army & Vietnam War

Pvt. David John Barnett

1971 Sep 26 Age: 20 Marriage to Sheri Lynn Whitney, Yerington,
Nevada

Clara Bell McGee (David’s grandmother), David, Sheri, Sheri’s grandmother and great grandmother at the wedding reception

Clara M Barnett (David’s mom), David, Sheri, Sheri & Floyd Whitney (Sheri’s parents) at the wedding reception

Hawthorne Nasal Base

Costa Mesa

Radio Disk Jocky

Office Equipment

Head Hunter

Telemarketer

David with daughters, Tanya & Heather, Yerington, NV

1983 Jul 28 Age: 31 Marriage to Linda D Kegney Reno, Nevada

At a family reunion, Dolly McGee, Linda Kegney, Diana McGee, Robin Barnett, Connie McGee, Clara Barnett

At a family reunion, Holly McGee, David Barnett, Dan Barnett, Jay Brown

1985 Age: 34 445 Thoma Street, Reno, Nevada

1985

Ink drawing of David when he was a radio disc jockey

David giving his daughter, Tanya a hug

Visiting Chere in Marina, CA 1985

Tana Relationship

Tana & David at San Juan Bautista day trip, while visiting Chere in Seaside, CA 1988

Kola Waters
Barnett Beverage

Reno House

Tanya’s Graduation (Dayton, NV)

David, Tanya, Heather, and Sheri at Tanya’s High School Graduation, Dayton, NV

Tanya and Heather, David’s two daughters, at Tanya’s High School Graduation, Dayton, NV

Tanya’s Wedding (Carson City, NV)

David walking his daughter, Tanya, down the aisle.

Sheri (Tanya’s mom), Tanya, Earl Willey and David

Tanya Barnett & Earl Willey Wedding

(Left to Right: Sheri Whitney (Tanya’s maternal grandmother), Sheri Whitney Barnett (David’s first wife & Tanya’s mother), Tanya & Earl, David, Chere (Barnett) Brown (David’s sister), Front: Shannon Ivy Brown, (niece, Chere Brown’s daughter), Clara McGee Barnett (David’s mother). Carson City, Nevada (1997)

Russia