Larry Glen Barnes

Larry Barnes passed away on April 12th, 2022. He was 74 years old. Larry was preceded in death by his grandmother, Sudie Dunn; his mother, Phyllis Barnes; and his first spouse, Susie Morrow. He is survived by his father, Roy Barnes; his wife, Mary Meiman Barnes; his son, Brian Barnes; his sisters, Nancy Morris and Jenny Fleming; and his grandson, Iain Barnes. He also leaves behind a host of loving family, neighbors, and colleagues from across the US. He was a lifelong member of Walnut Street Baptist Church.

Larry was born on July 10th, 1947, in Louisville, Kentucky, at St. Joseph Hospital. Larry's first home was in Germantown; the family subsequently moved to Whipps Mill Village. As a youth, Larry was an avid basketball and baseball player, and he played on many all-star teams for both sports. In the early 1960s, he played third base for a team of Kentucky State Champs out of St. Matthews. His love of and skill in baseball took him to Murray State University, where he played until an injury forced the end of his baseball career.

At Westport High School and around the breakfast table with his father, Larry learned to love the newspaper. He loved the feel, the look, the smell, and the knowledge it provided. He liked knowing what was going on and being a person who could be relied upon to know. Young Larry started working on school newspapers and developing his craft as a writer.

Before he finished college, Larry had a new journalistic goal: To comfort the oppressed and to oppress the comfortable. This became his lifelong journalistic mantra and a touchstone for his many contributions to public conversations. In 1968, Larry enlisted as a military journalist in the US Army, during which time he contributed to the war effort in Vietnam, worked at the Pentagon, and experienced life in Okinawa, Japan, with his wife, Susie Morrow. Their marriage produced a son, Brian, in 1973, the same year that Susie died from leukemia at 24 years old.

Larry continued his journalistic career with positions at The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Louisville Times, and The Courier-Journal. He was also among the leadership of Kentucky Sports World Magazine, a glossy monthly that looked at all sporting events in The Commonwealth, top to bottom. Larry was also a freelance photographer and contributing writer to Sports Illustrated and other national publications. He earned a Naismith Citation for journalism during this time.

In 1978, Larry met his lifelong partner, wife, and caregiver, Mary Meiman. They married in 1979, and they would have celebrated 43 years of marriage this year. Mary retired from teaching with JCPS and joined Larry on his many adventures to historical sites around the state and the region, as well as their daily outings into Louisville's dining and cultural scenes. Larry loved to be in the midst of our active and beautiful city, and he contributed daily as a great consumer of literature and music, as an excellent listener, a thoughtful adviser, and a careful speaker.

In 1981, Larry joined the federal civil service at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, as Editor of Inside the Turret, the largest weekly newspaper in the US military, worldwide. Larry trained dozens of bright, thoughtful, critical journalists in his on-the-job newspaper laboratory during his three decades at Ft. Knox. After his retirement, the paper became known as "The Gold Standard," and the incoming leadership inherited the award-winningest paper in the US Armed Forces, year after year. Truly, Larry had set a golden standard for journalism, and he was often referred to as "The Dean of Army Journalists" among his Department of Defense colleagues.

Larry retired in 2011, and he has spent these past years relaxing on his porch and enjoying a quiet and tranquil life with Mary, Brian, Iain, and his loving family and friends. Larry died suddenly and unexpectedly from cardiac arrest during dialysis on April 12th.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 from 3:00 pm until the time of the funeral service at 6:00 pm at Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions (235 Juneau Drive Louisville, KY 40243).

Those wishing to donate in Larry's memory should send gifts to The Filson Historical Society in Louisville or Dare To Care.

To leave a special message for the family please use the "Share Memories" portion below.