Posted: Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:00 am
Nov. 22, 1938 - July 13, 2008
Wayne Russell Barney, 69, of Albany died Sunday, July 13, at Samaritan Albany General Hospital.
He was born in Bemidji, Minn., to Russell and E. Lucille (Tronnis) Barney.
Wayne, known to his friends as "Barney", moved with his family to Oregon when he was 10. He met Elisa Lorraine "Lori" Perkins and they married in December of 1959 and would have been celebrating their 49th anniversary this year. They lived in the Corvallis, Albany, Jefferson and Redmond areas before settling in Albany to raise their family.
In his younger years, he enjoyed bull riding in the rodeos and while living in Redmond he was a member of Team Calf Roping. He worked as an AI Tech, a beef ranch manager in Central Oregon and managed a dairy farm in Nevada. His career passion was driving trucks up and down the I-5 corridor. He drove locally for Eichler Hay Co. of Corvallis for several years and Trade Winds Transportation of Albany the past three.
He greeted everyone with a smile and a friendly "hello sunshine". His favorite pastime was cracking jokes, telling stories of when he was a kid and sharing the experiences he and other truckers had on the road. He loved reading Louis L'Amour and a good murder mystery now and then. He also enjoyed feeding the ducks with his youngest grandson and taking day trips with his wife.
Wayne is survived by his wife, Lori; son Russell "Rusty"; daughters Cheryl and Cordelia; brothers Jack and Douglas; sisters Vicki, Mae, Eunice and Molly; 12 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren with another on the way.
He was preceded in death by his parents; youngest brother Dennis; oldest daughter Christina; and eldest grandson James.
A celebration of his life will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bryant Park. Contributions may be made directly to the family. Twin Oaks Funeral Home is handling arrangements.