On Wednesday September 12th William O Barnett, Sr was welcomed into heaven. Bill was born in Frost, Texas on September 14, 1920 to Oscar & Annie Barnett. When he was just a few months old, his father accepted a call to pastor Calvary Baptist of Oak Cliff, and the family moved to Dallas. He grew up in Oak Cliff and attended Sunset High, where he played center on the football team, and was pitcher for the baseball team. In 1941, seeing that war was on the horizon, Bill enlisted in the Navy, with hopes of flying Navy planes. When that was not going to happen, the Navy gave him a transfer to the Army Air Corp, where he attended training to be a glider pilot. Halfway through the course, Bill and a number of his classmates were selected to become B-17 crewmembers. Bill trained as navigator and later flew in B-17s from Bury St. Edmunds Airfield in England. After the war, Bill returned to Texas, where he enrolled at the University of Texas in the Architectural Engineering program. One Thanksgiving weekend, while visiting home, he met the love of his life, Verna. They continued seeing each other on weekends when he could return to Dallas. On August 30th 1949 Bill graduated with his Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering and began looking for work as an architect. And shortly thereafter he began working at Tatum & Quade architectural firm. Bill and Verna married on December 2nd, 1949. Bill's father said to Verna's father, "You are the father of the bride, so you give the vows, and I'll say the prayer. And that is what they did. The newly married couple honeymooned at the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells.Not too long later, war intruded again, and Bill was called up to the Air Force to serve in the Korean War, flying out of Japan.When Bill came home, he worked hard as an architect and building a life with Verna. In 1954 their son, Bill Jr. was born, and in 1955 their daughter, Suzanne came along. Bill worked long and hard, but spent his free time enjoying his family. They spent the first years of their marriage in Oak Cliff. Bill became a volunteer with Big Brothers, and he became Big Brother to Ed Murph, who became a life-long friend. In 1961, the family moved from Oak Cliff to what was then far north Dallas, and built a home that Bill designed. They lovingly poured their efforts into their new home, doing a fair part of the actual construction themselves - to make sure it was done right.Bill worked hard all his life, finding jobs stocking grocery shelves as a young boy, running a taxi service with friends while in college and myriad of other jobs in between. After leaving Tatum & Quade, Bill moved to Tom Stanley Architects & Engineers, rising to the position of Chief Engineer. Eventually he left to open his own office. Even after Bill officially retired, he worked from home for a number of years.Bill loved to joke and tell stories and spend time with his family and friends. He and Verna went out with friends often. Every summer they took family vacations - often meeting friends and spending time with them, too. They bought a ranch north of Dallas when their kids were in Jr Hi, and the family began spending many weekends chasing cows and building fences. Bill subscribed to ranching journals and would pour over them when they arrived.Looking forward to the day they see Bill again are those who survive him: His wife Verna; son Bill Jr (Margarita); daughter Suzanne Barnett-Scott (John); grandchildren Mara Barnett, Josiah Barnett, Carl William Scott (Allison), Robert Scott; great-grandson Tyler Barnett; step-grandchildren Kristen (Kyle), Robyn, John (Lisa), Andrea (Artie); step-great-grandchildren Nick, Amanda, AJ, Allie, Chloe and Anna. Bill also leaves behind many well-loved nieces and nephews and a host of very dear friends.Burial will be at the Dallas Ft Worth National Cemetery on Friday September 21st at 11am. A memorial service will follow at 2pm at Park Cities Baptist Church, Ellis Chapel. Please send the family condolences and sign the guestbook on this site.