Warren “Ray” Barnes, loving husband and father of four, passed away from natural causes Saturday, March 13, 2021 at the age of 85.
Born in Meherrin, Va. on June 9, 1935, Ray moved to Spotswood, NJ with his mother, brother and sister in 1950, and at age 15, quickly began shouldering the responsibilities of “The Man of the House”. After graduating high school, Ray served in the U.S. Army for two years and on May 3, 1958 married June Elaine Bennett, moving to Cranbury, NJ where they raised their four sons - Warren, Bruce, Robert and Jimmy.
Ray had an incredible work ethic and an amazingly innate ability to fix things, especially mechanical things. Whether it was 30+ years of repairing ATM machines for NCR, a lifetime of operating and maintaining equipment on the family horse farm, making cotton candy at the County Fair as part of a small family business, or changing the oil in a daughter-in-law’s car who stopped by to visit, Ray was always working with his heart and soul to do it well and do it right. He was very generous with his time, volunteering with the Cranbury First Aid squad for 25+ years, as well as making himself available to help a neighbor, friend or family member, always with just the right tool for the job. And when he did things for fun and to relax, you would find him pulling a camper with his family when his sons were young, driving on long road trips to visit family, friends and national parks or being a snowbird in FL for the winter - all captured on film because Ray was never far from his camera.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Warren A. Barnes and Elna Cook, and his wife, June E. Barnes. He is survived by his four sons, Warren B. (Leigh Ann), Bruce N. (Liz), Robert S. (Annabelle), and James C. (Darlene); his five grandchildren, Melisa, Randy, Mary Beth, Jacob, and Mary Catherine, his best friend and sister Becky Linder, and many nieces and nephews.
A private family burial with military honors will be held at Old Tennent Cemetery in Manalapan, NJ through Barlow & Zimmer Funeral Homes, 202 Stockton Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Cranbury First Aid Squad, 65 Maplewood Ave., Cranbury, NJ 08512.