Barney Willis Lett, 88, of Hokes Bluff, went to meet his Lord and Savior on February 19th, 2015. Funeral services will be held at 4 PM, Sunday, February 22nd, 2015. Ministers Vince Whittington, Abel Garcia, and Lance Hughes will officiate. Burial will be at Crestwood Cemetery. Crestwood Funeral Home is in charge.
Barney was a member of White Springs Baptist Church.
He is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 56 years, Ophelia Wells Lett; parents, Ira and Ida Lett; parents-in-law, Dewey and Julia Wells; brother, Clifford, Cecil, and Travis Lett; grandson, Jonathan Harris; grandson-in-law, Dr. James Brown; and son-in-law, Mike Willis.
He is survived by his daughters, Mrs. Charlotte Willis, Mrs. Peggy (Bob) Harris, Mrs. Nancy (Sandy) Hughes, and Mrs. Carolyn (Butch) Oakes; grandchildren, Billy (Jenny) Bishop, Randy Willis, Laura Brown, Justin, Ashley and Hannah Oakes, Blake and Lance Hughes; and great-grandchildren, Mason and Jordan Bishop, Trinity, Noah, Preston and Harrison Brown.
When Barney was young, his family moved to a farm in East Gadsden. Most of his youth was spent in the East Gadsden area. His dad was one of the first hired at the new Goodyear Tire and Rubber plan in 1929. When Barney was 16 he followed in his dad's footsteps and was hired at the Goodyear plant. Barney was 18 when he married Ophelia Wells. It was 1945 and Barney wanted to serve his country in the United States Navy after serving two years in the Pacific theater on a cargo ship delivering medical supplies to the wounded. After serving in the Navy, Barney returned to the Gadsden Goodyear Plant where he worked for 39 years. During the 1950's, Barney moved his family to Rainbow City. He was the first part-time police serving the day shift and working 3rd shift at Goodyear. He and his family in 1960 moved to Hokes Bluff.
Barney was a deacon in the Baptist church and served as music director for Grace Baptist Church for 12 years. Barney loved serving the Lord in the church. Barney served in later years at the Gadsden Baptist Temple. In the last years he attended First Baptist Glencoe. Barney was also a Mason for over 60 years. When his health began declining, he moved to the Robert L. Howard Veteran's Home in Pell City where he lived his last days.
Pallbearers will be grandsons and great-grandsons. Honorary pallbearers are his many friends at the Hokes Bluff Jacks, his many loving neighbors in Hokes Bluff, and the employees of Robert L. Howard Veterans Home.
Special thanks to the Robert L. Howard Veteran Home Staff, especially to the Victory Way 1100 hall staff and the Alacare Hospice nurses. Flowers will be received or donations can be made to Big Oak Ranch, PO Box 507, Springville, AL 35146.
The family will receive friends from 4-6 PM on Saturday, February 21st, 2015.