George Walton Barnes, Jr.

George Walton Barnes, Jr. died May 18, 2023, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 92 years old. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, George W. Barnes and Gladys T. Barnes, and his sister, Alice Barnes Roberts. He is survived by his wife, Annette Thomas Barnes, their two children; Joy Barnes-Griffith (Troy) and Michael Barnes (Paula); grandchildren Justin Barnes (Catherine), Taylor Tarvin (Blake), Morgan Crumpler (Hampton), Casey Griffith and Lindsey Griffith; and two great-grandchildren.

George was born in Youngsville, N.C. and attended Youngsville High School, where he excelled in basketball and baseball. He graduated from Wake Forest College in 1955. 

Throughout his career, he taught and coached basketball and worked for the N.C. Probation Commission, where he held the positions of probation officer, Assistant Chief of Probation, Chief of Administrative Services for the Division of Adult Probation and Parole and Assistant Director of Adult Probation. He was proud of his work to begin electronic monitoring of offenders and of drug testing offenders.

Governor Hunt inducted him into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his extraordinary service to the state.

He was a member at First Baptist Church in Raleigh and of the John Hiott Fellowship class for many years. 

Funeral services will be held at Bright Funeral Home in Wake Forest on Monday, May 22nd at 2 p.m. Visitation begins one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Baptist Church Endowment Fund, 99 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh, NC 27603 or to the Wake Forest University Deacon Club, Attn: Athletic Development, 499 Deacon Blvd. Winston-Salem, NC 27105.

A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Center. (919-556-5811)

www.brightfunerals.com

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