Obituary
William Bernell Barrett’s Euology by Dennis Barrett, his Brother
October 18, 2014
William Bernell Barrett was born in Idaho Falls March 11, 1939 to a loving Mother, Lola Barrett and Father, Afton Barrett. Afton Barrett was the coach at Ammon High School at the time, but his career over the next several years moved Lola and Bernell to Montpelier Idaho, Park City Utah, Tremonton Utah, and Shelly Idaho. After living in smaller towns and rural areas, when Bernell was 8, they moved to Pocatello, Idaho. At first he did not like living there. As he put it in his personal history, he felt "that people sensed less safety and neighborliness". At the age of 9, a new sister, JoAnn was born in the car while visiting Grandma Reed in Ammon Idaho.. At the age of 12, a little brother, Dennis was born in Pocatello.
Being 12 years younger than Bernell, or Bernie, as family and friends call him, I had little knowledge of his early years. For that I am going to refer to some of his own writings that I discovered as I cleaned out the house a few months ago, and then later in the program, any who knew him during those years are welcome to share additional stories.
Bernell was always active and involved, and as a young boy, he was my Idol.
Basketball was one thing that Bernell loved, having learned it from his coach father. His sophomore year at Pocatello High School, he was the starting center on the Basketball team that won the state championship. I believe, however, that he only played for the high school for one or two years, but remember seeing pictures and trophies in the church trophy case where they won several tournaments and placed 4th place in the LDS All Church tournament that they held in those days.
Later in life, Bernell would frequently open the church for others to come and play basketball, which he also played until he was about 60, and after that he still opened the building for a few years, and loved the associations.
As a Senior in high school, Bernell was elected Student Body President of Pocatello High School. The one thing that he was most proud of during that time, which he mentioned to me several times during the last year, was that he succeeded in getting the school to start all student body meetings and events with a prayer.
Bernell was always great at making things work.
I remember an old blue 1948 Chevy, I believe, that he had bought and in which he had installed a diesel engine. I remember one of his hobbies was to build and fly remote control airplanes. These planes, painstakingly built out of a balsa wood frame and then covered with lacquered tissue and paint had 4 ft wingspans and would soar high and far enough that you could hardly see them. We would frequently go to model airplane shows where Bernie and others would show off and fly their planes. Unfortunately, they would frequently get out of range of the radio transmitter and he would loose control. I remember one time, the plan crashed into the face of Red Hill. One day after loosing his 3rd or 4th plane, he was extremely frustrated and, from what I was told, took all of his planes and equipment and threw them in the river.
After high school, Bernell attended ISU Vo-Tech training and became very good at repairing electronics. He worked at this off and on most of his life taking on things that others would not or could not repair all across town.
He frequently repaired his own and his mother's cars, even rebuilding transmissions and engines several times to keep them running long past what others would have considered their natural life. One time, Linda and I came back to Pocatello and on our way across town, stopped behind a black Volkswagen bug at the stop light. We looked at the back of the car, and noticed a pan hanging underneath the rear of the car, with a tube running down to it. Later we discovered, that Bernell had developed an oil leak, and had fashioned a pan to catch the oil, and a pump to recycle the oil back into the engine. I am not sure how he kept the dirt out, but I am sure he probably had it being pumped through some kind of filter.
Bernell had a strong desire to work and serve.
At age 11 he delivered the morning Salt Lake Tribune, which he enjoyed. At the age of 12, he took a job stocking shelves, sweeping, and delivering for a drug store. When a freshman in High School, he worked at one of the two fast food places in Pocatello, Davis's Root Beer stand by Hollowall Baseball Park. (I remember it as the A&W root beer with frosted mugs. Now I know why at the age of about 4 we would frequently go to get root beer.) His sophomore year, he worked part time as a janitor for the new Woolworth's store. His junior and senior years he drove on a patrol for the County Weed Control Department, covering every county road three times during the summers. He loved to see the farmers and the rural areas of the county.
At the age of 21, Bernell was called to serve a two and a half year mission to South Germany. While the work was hard, Bernell loved the people of Germany and worked hard to serve the Lord. His mission was an extension of his love for the Lord that started when he was very young and wasthe foundation of his life and personal nature.
A pivotal event
Shortly after returning from his mission to Germany, our Father was told that he had Pancreatic Cancer and had less than 6 months to live, and did pass away later that year. During the last year, Bernell explained to me that had a very hard time with faithful LDS doctors simply making this statement. To Bernell this was a lack of faith. He believed that Dad could be healed, if we had enough faith. This truly upset him, and caused him to have a very difficult few years, in which he also was required to receive medical care.
For a few years, Bernell went and lived in Salt Lake City and worked at several different jobs around Southern Idaho. Shortly before our Mother, Lola, was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, Bernell returned home and began to to care for her. He would take her for walks and make sure she was fed and comfortable, up until the time she passed away.
In 1988 he returned to college attending ISU and graduated in 1991 with a degree in Elementary Education to follow the path of his father and many other members of our family who had been teachers. He used this degree to serve as a substitute teacher in almost every Elementary School, Jr. High School, and Sr. High School in the Pocatello / Chubbock area. He loved to teach. He loved the people that he worked with. He loved the students. He loved to go to school events and see many of his students perform in the arts and athletics. He frequently would take older Ward Members to some of these events. He taught for over 18 years prior to retiring. I have rarely gone anywhere in Pocatello, that a student has not recognized Bernell and come up to talk to him. Recently, while in the Assisted Living Center and Nursing Centers, he had medical care providers who has also been his students. We have known several missionaries from Pocatello that when asked , immediately recognized Bernell Barrett by name as one of their teachers.
When we were moving things out of the house a few months ago, his neighbors all came over and expresses sincere concern and gratitude for being his neighbor and related times where he would go out of his way to be of service to them.
In the last year, Bernell developed a Brain Tumor and had several incidents of falling. During that time, he developed some paranoia and started to think that we wanted to take his home away from him, and once got quite angry. But even in this situation, during the last few times that I saw him, he would smile and say "I choose to overlook everything"
Bernell had a knowledge and conviction of the God's plan of Happiness. I am comforted to know that he is now free of the limitations and illness that his mortal body imposed, and is able to be re-united with his Mother and Father and other relatives who he loved dearly enough to go and dress their graves multiple times a year in this cemetery. This was one of Bernell's favorite places to walk, because of his love for his family. I am certain that he is now walking with them in a more happy place.
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