Dates
With great sadness, the family announces the passing of Dr. John Littleton Barnes on February 6, 2025, after a long illness. John was born in San Angelo, Texas to William Pinckney Barnes III and Louise Cotton Barnes on Easter Sunday, March 24, 1940. He was the valedictorian of the 1958 graduating class of San Angelo High School. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and earned early admission to Baylor College of Medicine, where he received his M.D. in 1965. He completed his ophthalmology residency and fellowship at Baylor and returned to San Angelo in 1972, where he practiced ophthalmology for 40 years until his retirement in 2012.
John had a lifelong love of golf and was a scratch golfer. He was the Club Champion at Horseshoe Bay Resort in 1986 and won the Bentwood Country Club Partnership Tournament with his friend Ted Covington. He was a diehard fan of the Texas Longhorns football team and a longtime member of the Longhorn Foundation. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) at UT.
Dr. Barnes served on the boards of the San Angelo Country Club and United Way Concho Valley. He was a member of the medical staffs of St. John’s Hospital, Shannon Medical Center, and Community Hospital, and was a former Chief of Staff at St. John’s. Dr. Barnes also served his country proudly in the U.S. Air Force as a flight surgeon, achieving the rank of Captain.
Dr. Barnes loved being a doctor and genuinely cared about his patients, always going above and beyond to make sure they got the best possible care. He was extremely proud of his family. He was a devoted husband to his wife, Loye, a wonderful father, and a beloved BDaddy to his grandchildren. He will be sorely missed.
John is survived by his loving wife of almost 64 years, Loye; his children, Alice Barnes Viroslav and husband Sergio, Kathy Barnes Stell and husband Andrew, J. Tipton Barnes and wife Stephanie; and his grandchildren Hannah Viroslav McFarland and husband Dan, Anna Stell Foley and husband Brennan, Andie Viroslav, Sadie Stell, Evan Viroslav, Margaret Stell, and Marlowe Barnes. He was preceded in death by his sisters Jet Barnes Tower and Naida Barnes, his brother Bill Barnes, and his grandson Robert Littleton Stell. The family is grateful to Comfort Keepers for the loving care provided to John in recent years.
The Funeral Service will be 11:30 A.M., Friday, February 14, 2025, at Harper Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Fairmount Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in John’s memory be made to the Longhorn Foundation, New Beginnings Animal Rescue, or a local charity of your choice.
Family and friends may share condolences at www.harper-funeralhome.com.