Gerald "J. B." William Barnes, 79, died Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at Cass Regional Medical Center in Harrisonville, Missouri. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 5 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, Missouri, with visitation from 10:00-11:00. Burial will be in Freeman Cemetery, Freeman, Missouri.

J. B. was born September 28, 1935 in Louisburg, Kansas, the son of William Joseph and Delpha Fern (Brown) Barnes. He married Beneta Branum on April 3, 1964 in Paola, Kansas. J. B. had lived in Louisburg for 30 years before moving to Harrisonville where he lived for 42 years. He was a member of the UAW and had worked for General Motors Fairfax Assembly for 37 years before retiring in 1999. He was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the American Legion Post #250 in Louisburg.

J. B. was preceded in death by his parents, one sister and four brothers. He is survived by one brother, Kenneth Barnes and wife, Sharon, Louisburg, Kansas; one sister, Alma Jean Murphy, Drexel, Missouri; his companion and friend, Phyllis Chaney, Harrisonville, who had helped him with everything over the past eight years; nieces and nephews; and his dog, Tootsie, his best friend, and now adopted by his nephew, Nick Pfannes.

The family would like to say a special "Thank you" to the Country Club Bank of Harrisonville, Meadowview of Harrisonville, Freeman Monument and Atkinson Funeral Home.