E. Barnes 61 helped build Cellino and Barnes into pow "driven by performance," Stephen

Stephen E. Barnes was "very excited" about plans for a new law firm in recent weeks, including plans to settle into new offices on Pearl Street, according to one of his associates.

Robert J. Schreck, managing attorney for Cellino & Barnes, was going to be the managing attorney for Barnes' new firm, the Barnes Firm.

He said Mr. Barnes was looking forward to new challenges after his difficult breakup with business partner Ross M. Cellino Jr.

"The last conversation I had with Steve was Thursday, when we were talking about some plans for our office in Rochester," Schreck said. "Steve was really excited."

When Mr. Barnes, 61, died in a plane crash in Pembroke on Friday, it marked the end of a life that began with a West Seneca childhood with a father who was a World War II veteran, and included studies at the University at Buffalo Law School.

It brought to a conclusion a professional life as an attorney that had drawn attention – and news coverage – for a long time.

The death Friday of Mr. Barnes was noted with sadness by those who knew him.

In a telephone interview, Mr. Barnes' ex-wife, Ruth Barnes, said that news of the plane crash was "totally devastating" for her and the couple's three children, Julia, Rachael and Josiah.

Cellino, his longtime law partner, recalled Mr. Barnes as "always a fearless advocate for his clients."

"His passing is a significant loss for the legal community," Cellino stated.

Mr. Barnes served in the Marine Corps 8th Tank Battalion in the Marine Corps Reserves for seven years. He served in Desert Storm, and left his Marines service in 1991.

Earlier, Mr. Barnes attended Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo.

In a story about Mr. Barnes' life published in The Buffalo News in 2017, Barnes' brother spoke of the kind of childhood they had.

"We grew up in a middle-class family, in a small ranch home," Richard Barnes said. "Our parents taught us the values of responsibility and getting your work done."

Schreck, who worked closely with Mr. Barnes for the past 15 years, called the former military man "the hardest-working person I've ever met in my life."

"Steve was a U.S. Marine, through and through. He was a tough boss, but a fair boss and an honorable guy," said Schreck, who burst into tears three times while talking about Mr. Barnes. "He was a very tough boss – like General George Patton, not General Omar Bradley. But I've never known anyone who was so dedicated to his work.

"Steve was essentially on the job 24/7. If you texted him about a case at 11 o'clock on a Saturday night, you'd hear back from him within five minutes."

Mr. Barnes, in an earlier published account, was also described as a pilot and someone who valued fitness.

"He trains to make himself physically fit to the extreme,"  Richard Barnes said in the 2017 story published in The News. "He will hike 50 miles from Buffalo to Ellicottville with a 60-pound weight strapped to his back. He's done it many times, and sometimes his girlfriend goes with him."

Schreck added that Mr. Barnes was a devoted father to his son and two daughters.

Over the past 15 years, Schreck recalled, "I spoke to Steve almost every single day, more than I spoke to anyone, even people in my own family. I am going to miss the guy, I really am."

According to Cellino: "Steve's greatest accomplishment was his three children…Steve is survived by his longtime partner, Ellen Sturm, also an attorney at our firm."

Asked about the future of the new Barnes Firm, Schreck said, "At this point, I just have no idea."

Operations at the new firm were to begin on Oct. 9.

Calling Mr. Barnes "a driven man, driven by performance," Schreck said there were two things about Mr. Barnes that the public didn't know.

"He was a very funny guy, with a great sense of humor. And he was a very generous guy," Schreck said. "Any time I went to Steve with a request to donate to a charity – Hospice, Ronald McDonald House or anything else – he would write a check, immediately. And quite often, those were personal checks from Steve, not Cellino & Barnes checks."