The youngest of four children born to the late Lewis Vernon Barnes, Sr. and the late Elmore Seals Barnes on April 17, 1948 in Charleston, WV. He peacefully departed this life at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD on April 13, 2018. He attended public schools in Charleston, WV.
In 1954 when the Brown vs. Board of Education case was settled, Kanawha County Public Schools began with a pilot group of students to integrate the public schools. Lewis, along with his twin brother George, was one of those students.
After graduating from Charleston High School in 1966, he continued his education by earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from West Virginia State College in Institute, WV in 1970 and a master’s degree from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH in 1972. Lewis moved to Washington, DC in 1971 and began a career with the federal government that spanned more than 40 years. His first position was with the Department of State as a Vice Counsel to the country of Panama.
He also worked at the United States National Archives, United States Department of Agriculture, and in 2014 he retired from the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol Division as an IT Specialist. Lewis was an active member of Blacks in Government. Lewis was a faithful member of the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.
He was a Third-Degree member of the Immaculate Conception Shrine Council #4944, where he served more than 38 outstanding years, thus achieving the status of Honorary Life Member. He also attained the highest degree in the Knights of Columbus by receiving the Exemplification of the Fourth Degree, as a member of Washington Assembly #151, which is the oldest Assembly in the Washington-Metropolitan area. Lewis had a sense of humor that endeared him to his family.
Even when he was ill, he never lost his sense of humor. He was also gifted with a remarkable memory. He had an uncanny ability to retain facts and events in detail.
This served him well as the historian of the family. He was everyone’s go to person for information regarding family, friends, and the Charleston community. Lewis’ death will leave a void in the passing of information important to maintaining family connections for generations to come.
He had a love of all things WV and maintained those connections throughout the years. Lewis was a proud WVSC alum. He attended each Homecoming for more than 30 years.
However, he became ill in 2017 and was not able to attend another homecoming. Lewis leaves to mourn his passing two sisters, Ellen B. Reynolds of Evanston, IL and Susan B. Miller of Hyattsville, MD, his identical twin, George W. Barnes of Chicago, IL, four nieces and nephews, Bruce H. Reynolds, Jr. (Lola), Jamie Miller Bishop, James Miller, Jr., Jana Reynolds, eight great-nieces and nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.
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