John J. Barnett, 88

John J. Barnett, 88, a longtime Whitefish resident, passed away peacefully Jan. 10, 2007, in Butte. He was born Aug. 13, 1918, in Columbus, Ohio. At an early age he left home to find a better life, and supported himself through high school by working for room and board on a farm. This self-reliance was a trait that marked his entire life.

Enlisting in the U.S. Navy after high school, he served through World War II in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to Guam, Okinawa, Midway and Japan. Although he rarely would speak of the battles, he spoke fondly of the Philippines and its people. Throughout his life, he believed in the power of America to bring freedom to others.

After his service in the Navy, John used his communications training to find work with the Bell Telephone Company, which took him throughout the Northwest. While working near Stanley, N.D., he met Elvira Smith, and they were married in 1956. They would live briefly in Spokane, and finally settle in Whitefish in 1965.

John worked for 25 years with the Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railway, serving as lineman from Spokane to Browning. Many dark mornings were spent restoring communications service in the snowstorms beyond the North Fork. He remembered fondly working on the Stryker tunnel and the remotest parts of the rail line. All his life, he felt a connection to the outdoors and nature.

John and Elvira raised their children in Whitefish and were active in the community throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s. Elvira passed away in 1998, and John soon moved to Butte to be near his grandchildren.

John left several good friends and neighbors in Whitefish, and he remembered them well.

In his last years, he enjoyed his well-earned retirement, making new friends in his neighbors in Butte, and reading the local history. John read widely the history and fiction of the West, and that tradition of independence, courage, strength and optimism was with him to the end. Those who knew him will remember.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Grady and Tammy Barnett, of Butte; grandchildren, Kaylee and Cameron; and son, Nathan Barnett, of Clarkston, Wash.

A graveside memorial will be conducted at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell.