Bruce Alan Barnett

   Bruce Alan Barnett, 67, of 115 Country Club Drive, Edenton, NC, passed away on Sunday, July 29, 2018.

   Born on September 6, 1950, in Wayne County, Michigan; as a young man he served in the US Air Force until he was discharged to help care for his mother after his father was killed in a small plane accident. A longtime employee of Fitzpatrick Electric in Traverse City, MI, many of his colleagues, especially his boss Jim, were close and dear friends. Highly imaginative and creative, in retirement he mastered the skills of metalsmithing, jewelry making, lapidary, and challenged himself further with leatherwork, and building wooden boxes and deep sea fishing lures. Bruce was generous with his time and talents, and loved teaching others and passing on his skills. As a volunteer and occasional instructor with Pocosin Arts in Columbia, NC, his long and close association there included being instrumental in making their metalsmith studio a reality. A lifelong admirer of British sports cars, he loved his 1959 Triumph.

   Bruce was a most compassionate man with a great sense of humor, and a wonderful gift of listening when anyone needed a caring friend. Friends he left in Michigan, and friends he made since moving to Edenton in 2003, were truly a part of his family. But of all things, Bruce was a wonderful and loving husband who dearly loved his sweetheart, Maureen.

   Preceded in death by his father, Bruce Wayne Barnett, his first wife, Lynn, and his sister, Carole Barnett-Stopper, he is survived by his wife of 18 years, Maureen McCarthy; his mother, Kathleen “Connie” Barnett of Elizabeth City; his sister, Diane Barnett Gordon of Roseburg, OR; his niece, Jesse Julia Orton of Portland, OR; and his sister-in-law, Margie Sveska, and nephew, Eric Sveska, both of Ann Arbor, MI.

   A service remembering and celebrating Bruce’s life will be held Saturday, August 11, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where he was a member, and will be conducted by his pastor, The Rev. Malone Gilliam. His ashes will be placed in the church’s memorial garden. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception in the Parish Hall immediately following the burial.

   Memorial contributions may be made to either St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 458, Edenton, NC 27932, or to the Tri-County Animal Shelter, 138 Icaria Road, Tyner, NC 27980.

   Miller Funeral Home & Crematory, 735 Virginia Road, Edenton, is assisting the family with arrangements, and online condolences may be made to them by visiting www.millerfhc.com.