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BORN
1953
DIED
2013
Robert Barnett Obituary
Dec. 22, 1953 - Sept. 6, 2013
Resident of Dublin
Robert passed away in a tragic accident on Friday. He touched so many lives through his family, work and many hobbies.
Robert was born in Oakland, California. He graduated from Canyon High School in Castro Valley. He received his AA from Chabot Junior College in Hayward and then
graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California, Berkeley. He then attended the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine where he received his medical degree and also completed his Pediatric Internship and Residency. Robert then returned to the Bay Area as the Chief Resident at Oakland Children's Hospital. He joined the Permanente Medical Group in 1986 as a Pediatrician at the Kaiser Medical clinic. He stayed there until moving to the Livermore facility when it opened to lead that Pediatric Department. His practice spanned over 27 years and two generations of families with some of his first patients now parents. His kindness, generosity and willingness to do anything, anytime for his patients and friends was unique and deeply appreciated by all who knew him.
Robert has had many hobbies over the years. After graduating from college, he studied and began his obsession with photography that never stopped. During his first years in San Diego, he spent his spare time at the beach body-surfing and studying. Then he found his love of sailing. Many days were spent on Mission Bay on his catamaran. Those days on the Bay helped him during the cancer treatment. After moving back to the Bay Area, he decided to try golf, which was going to be one of the many things to fill his time when he retired in January. Upon moving to Dublin, he found remote control airplanes and gliders. He became a member and instructor for the East Bay Radio Controllers Club in Livermore and for the Bayside R/C Club in Fremont. This became his way of flying because he couldn't fly. Next Robert decided that to help our family stay in shape we should bicycle together. You might have seen our van with all five bicycles on top going around to different trails. His friends and brother started riding motorcycles and convinced him to do the same. That took off to riding many times a month, along with the annual 10-day ride through three or four states complete with a tent and sleeping bag on the back of each bike every summer. These trips were times of relaxation, which really helped after his heart surgery. Robert always loved flying, but couldn't get his pilot's license because of his heart. When Weight-Shift Aircrafts were born, he was so excited. Robert always lived his life to the fullest. He was open to trying anything, which explains how he had so many different hobbies.
Robert is survived by the love of his life, Pamela, devoted children Bree, Sean, Devon, his son-in-law, Mike and grand-daughter, Katherine. He is also survived by his loving brother, Dale Barnett and his wife, JoFaith. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Joyce Barnett, and his brother, Douglas. Robert was the type of person that people couldn't help but love to be around with his constant smile and his caring personality. His family and friends will miss him greatly and he will be remembered always in their hearts.
Friends and family are invited to pay their respects at the Memorial on Sunday, September 22nd at 2:30pm at the Crosswinds Church, 6444 Sierra Court, Dublin.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations may be made to the UCSD School of Medicine, Class of 1982 Endowment Fund, In Memory of Robert Barnett, M.D. , Please contact Joellen Kay, email at [email protected] or phone at 858-822-0806. Or, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 2468 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92106.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Robert Barnett
Lucas Koziol
June 20, 2014
Here is a photo of our daughter sitting on the bench that Kaiser put up. She was one of his patients during the accident. He was always very nice to her.
Christine Polanco
January 6, 2014
I am so saddened to learn of Dr. Barnett's passing. He was such a compassionate, caring man and will be greatly missed. I hope his family finds comfort in knowing how much he touched everyone's life- my prayer's are with them.
Cheryl McCarthy
January 5, 2014
Dr. Barnett was a kind and wonderful man. He went to great lengths to care for my three children at Kaiser. My family is heartbroken hearing that he'd left this world far too soon. He will be greatly missed.
November 30, 2013
I had Dr. Barnett for 6 yrs. for my children while living in Livermore. I truly was able to identify with him and some of his advice I still tell people. We had to change doctors because of a move to Southern California and I have not been able to find somebody like him. My condolences to his family. He is a great loss for Kaiser and his family.
Mary Delaney
November 24, 2013
He was my sons doctor and was so patient with my concerns as if this was the first time he'ld ever heard them, which I realize was not and makes me laugh at myself, he may be gone but his light lives in those lives he touched and most important in Pam and his children. God bless.
Karen Dana
November 13, 2013
Dr. Bob was such a wonderful man, my condolences to Pam & the kids. He was my 3 kids doctor in the 1980's and a distant family friend...I saw him last year when he visited my brother in law after his liver transplant. It was always a pleasure to run into him. Rest in peace, Dr, Bob.
October 28, 2013
He was an amazing Dr. My 14 yr old Grandson & my 3 yr old Grandson both went to him. I was just in his office a few months ago...He will so be missed. Jan Higdon...Livermore
Ian Orbell
October 4, 2013
Dr. Bob (as we all in the family called him), was our children's doctor and I cannot overstate how many times we have given silent thanks for us all meeting him - he was such a loving and caring person, he gave comfort and care to our children, and such consolotation to us as parents....we were all truly blessed to have encountered him when we moved to Pleasanton over 20 years ago. Words cannot describe our sadness at hearing of his untimely death, he touched our hearts in so many ways...we feel bereft, but grateful to have have experienced his care and support as a truly wonderful doctor.
Judy Belena
October 2, 2013
Dr. Barnett you will be missed beyond what words could ever begin to express. You are irreplaceable. Best doctor we could have ever asked for. So generous, comforting, kind, patient, caring, and always so reassuring. My daughter absolutely loved going to the doctor because she knew she would get to see this wonderful human being she knew as her doctor. Definitely one of a kind. You are missed, loved, and remembered by all whose lives you touched with your kindness. My condolences to the Barnett Family, friends, and patients. May god be with all of you. The world was definitely a better place because you were in it. You have left your positive mark in this world. You will never be forgotten. We were so blessed to have had the time to spend with you and to have known you. Thank you for all that you did for my daughter and for all the reassurances you gave me. I am praying for your family in this difficult time. May you rest in peace Dr. Barnett.
Love Isabella, Judy, and Chad Belena
September 24, 2013
Dr. Barnett was the most caring person. He not only cared deeply for his patients, but guided parents as well. So many times, Dr. Barnett took the time to ease my worries during the ups and downs of raising a little boy. He always saw the light in my son's spirit and David always looked forward to going to the doctor because of Dr. Barnett. We can only imagine the love he shared with his family, so our thought and prayers go out to you during this time of loss. May his love and memory comfort you.
Lindsey Clark
September 23, 2013
Dr. Barnett was my pediatrician and my sons. He was an amazing doctor and a wonderful man. He will be missed by so many but all for the same reasons. He was one of those people that truly cared about those he knew. My prayers go out to the Barnett family.
Denise Arante
September 23, 2013
My deepest condolences to the Barnett family. Dr. Barnett has been our son's doctor for over 16 years. He is an exemplary man. My family and I are so blessed to have had him in our son's lives for all these years, he always went the extra mile for our kids health and truly made us feel like we were the only patients he was caring for. He always had a smile on his face and make the kids feel special in his care. We are saddened by this loss and pray he rest in peace.
Rob Hoff
September 23, 2013
Dr. Barnett was a great and caring doctor and human being. I have two son's and both of them loved him and even more, trusted him. He always put us at ease when we, as parents did not know what was wrong with our kids. My oldest son, Robbie (14) only really trusted one doctor in his life and my youngest son, Joshua (3), only had one doctor. My kids called him "Dr. Bob". I don't know why, but it stuck. We will miss him and we thank him for his kindness. Our hearts and prayers go out to the whole Barnett Family. God Bless You, "Dr. Bob". From The Hoff Family
Brenda Villarreal
September 23, 2013
I met Dr. Barnett in 2001 when my son was born, I had premature twins in 2002 and went straight to him with all my concerns. My kids loved going to see him and I didn't know how to break the news to them until last night when they saw me crying. They were so sad an upset and started thinking of the last time we saw him in July 2013 for their physical. We were going to Santa Monica for the summer and he mentioned he was going to attend a wedding there too. One of my twins said he doesn't want to choose another doctor :(. We will miss him very much. He was a good man and God will take care of him.
Pamela Coggins (Wiklund)
September 22, 2013
I had the honor of working with him in the early 90s. I was a young "green" nurse. He was always so generous with his time and taught me so many wonderful things. He is, without a doubt, one of the best physicians I ever worked with. May he rest in peace and peace be with his family.
Renee McManus
September 21, 2013
To the Barnett family,
My hear breaks for you with the loss of your husband and dad. Robert was definitely one of a kind. He not only treated his patients with respect and kindness but all that knew him or came in contact with. He was one of the most gentle, caring, warm person I have ever known or worked with. I pray that you will find comfort in those memories you hold close in your hearts and know that you all were the loves of his life. May God bless you all and hold you in the palm of His hand. Thank you for sharing this amazing man with all of us.
Thoughts and prayers with you always.
Renee McManus
brian lorimer
September 21, 2013
thank you, I owe you the life of two of my sons. you will be missed
September 19, 2013
Dear Barnett family,
My name is Kyle Stein and Dr. Barnett was my Pediatrician from my earliest memories up through about 8th grade. No words can truly describe the amazing man and doctor I believe he was! Whenever I see a picture of a P-38 Lighting airplane, or pictures of airplanes flying at the Reno Air Races, I always think of him! And EVERYTIME I see someone wearing OG Birkenstock sandals I always seem to go back to the memories I have of him treating me at Kaiser! :) My heart goes out to you in your time of loss....
September 19, 2013
Dear Barnett Family,
Even without reading all the comments from parents, you know how wonderful a doctor Robert was for all our children. He was my son's doctor for 18 yrs. I have never known a doctor as wonderful, kind, gentle as Robert was. Always a smile and he DID make you feel your child was special. We parents and our children were truly blessed by his being such a devoted doctor.
I'm so deeply saddened he didn't have that time in retirement to spend with his family. Thank you, thank you, for sharing him with us.
Know he will always be with you in your memories and that he lead a happy life, blessed with the love of his life and great children. Most sincerely, the McCloud Family.
Debbie/Logan Guidry
September 18, 2013
We will miss him greatly. He was our pediatrician for 10 years.
Mariah Vash
September 18, 2013
Thank you Dr. Barnett. I love you.
Love, Mariah Vash
Patient Mariah, Angelman Syndrome 18 years.
Frifoley Baxter
September 18, 2013
Dr.Barnett,
I cannot pick a favorite memory as lately they all seem to pass through my mind and are equally wise, kind and genuine. I take comfort in your name on our medicine bottles still and there is no way to replace you as Mariah's doctor. I fight back the tears when I see a similar car or when I pass where they fly the planes near Del Valle. I remember meeting you at Mariah's 1yr well check and I opened up to you right away that I knew something wasn't right and that answering the checklist questions on well-checks wasn't enough...It was soon after that, I asked if you would become her pediatrician. I was so happy when you agreed! You were never afraid of the most insurmountable medical issues we were facing. You never looked or acted like it was something you couldn't help us find a solution for. I remember when Mariah went into respiratory failure and I was doubting myself about timing of emergency care and you calmly told me that you have had children go into distress in the office and it eased my mind. I remember all the times Mariah's 'happy feet' got you and how you wouldn't react a bit and how you would say with a smile she is okay, she is fine, now lets take a look. I remember having your pager number back in the day that I carried everywhere which gave me comfort in being able to leave the house or travel. You said if I waited until Mariah was in perfect health I would never travel. You set up emergency plans and admittance papers to the local children's hospital before our travels. I called you in the middle of the night at home once and you answered...and you calmed me down and told me that she was in good care with the emergency doctors. Sorry for waking you, and Thank you for answering. Thank you for all that you did to help me keep Mariah healthy. All the email appointments, phone appointments prior to Kaiser approving them. Thank you for insisting I borrow your PDR when she was in status epilepsy, so I could read all the medication studies. Thanks for helping me figure out how to keep her on the least amount of medication and the most amount of holistic homecare. She was always a hit at the teaching hospitals thanks to your help in supporting that for us. I was always grateful to your family for sharing your gifts with us and our community. I sent so many difficult cases your way knowing that you were more than capable to help. I saw you recently at Amakara Sushi in Dublin with Pamela and friends. I didn't want to interrupt you, but I was very happy to watch you enjoy that leisure time which I never got to see. I saw you always serving others and even being so respectful, kind and accepting of your staff. I remember seeing you in the pharmacy buying huge containers of fish oil to keep your heart healthy and I was so glad. I know you were going to retire, but you told me not to worry about it...I don't know what your plan was. I don't want to say good-bye to you. I am soooooo sad and sooooo sorry that I couldn't help, fix or save you when you needed it. I know it is crazy but I watched you help so many families over and over with a genuine smile and I always offered that if you ever needed help that I would be more than willing, because you always helped us so much. I wish I could have helped you Friday morning. I don't want this to be true or real. I am so grateful and I know I told you often, but I wish I would have done more...I never realized time would be cut short. You were always there for us. I feel lost already. I wonder things about identifying bites or what to do about the reflux dosing and now I am on my own. I haven't been without you for 17 years. I know you are in your perfect place, because I can only imagine how much clout you have in heaven with the way you carried yourself on Earth. You will be missed beyond words. Give Logan a kiss for me and all the other children, but most of all enjoy your perfect place and know that you are respected, admired and appreciated and will be missed forever. We Love you Dr. Barnett. I am praying for you past, present and future and for your entire family.
Thank you so much Barnett family for sharing your husband, father and brother with the Tri-valley community all these years which was indirectly helping his patients and families too with his special gifts of healing and comfort. He was an exceptional doctor and human being. Thank you Pamela, Bree, Sean and Devon for sharing him with us. I am praying for you all. May the peace of memories and love of family friends and community comfort you.
Love, Frifoley and Mariah
September 16, 2013
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved pediatrician, Dr. Barnett. I am so grateful that we were able to see him a few weeks before his passing. He was so excited about his upcoming retirement and looked forward to spending more time with his wife and children. His eyes lit up when he spoke of them.
Dr. Barnett will never be forgotten. He was truly one of a kind and will forever remain in our hearts. We are blessed to have known him and thank his family for sharing him with us.
Please accept our deepest sympathies and find a bit of peace in knowing how much he loved you.
The Nagy Family
Charles Korstad
September 16, 2013
Robert was a very close friend and godfather to both of my daughters. I was always inspired by Roberts passion for his work as well as hobbies. My wife, daughters and I are forever grateful for being part of his life. He was an amazing person who we loved very much. I will truly miss Robert and think of him daily.
Angela O'Brien
September 15, 2013
Dr. Barnett was THE BEST! He was our pediatrician and always made me feel comforted and calm as a mother. My condolences to his family and the many people who loved him! Angela O'Brien and the Brynildson Kids
September 15, 2013
We were shocked and saddened by the news. A wonderful, kind, doctor to our 3 sons. Our deepest sympathy to Dr. Barnett's family. The Young's
Paula Beardslee
September 13, 2013
Dr. Barnett was our pediatrician. We adored him. I specifically took my daughter to see him 2 weeks ago because I was afraid that my kids might not get sick before he retired at the end of the year, and it might be the last time he tended to them. I am so happy we had that last visit. He told me in two weeks to bring my daughter back and see the nurse, that this would save me my co-pay. I told him if he didn't mind, I'd prefer to pay the co-pay and see him since we only had a few months with him before he retired. That's how much we liked him. He was so gentle, sweet, patient and honest. I love how he always took the time to not only listen to us, but share what was going on with his life. His knowledge was never ending. I think he told me once that he had a degree in zoology or something completely different than medical school. He was an amazing wealth of knowledge and I always looked forward to seeing him and what I would learn at the visit.
I can't imagine having a well check for my children with any other doctor. I have been sick about the news of him passing since the day I heard about it. I want to thank his wife and kids for sharing him with us. He left us all too soon and he will be SORELY missed.
To Dr. Barnett, enjoy flying around up there and riding on your motorcycle. You will be missed, but never forgotten. I will pass on your advice to my children when they are parents someday. You truly were one of a kind!
Pat Van zanten
September 13, 2013
Well my heart is so sad ! My love and respect for DR Barnett is beyond what I can express! 25 years ago I went to see Dr with my first foster baby a very ill baby and Dr assured me that we could do this together and get we well ! I said to myself this Dr is different he is caring loving and just so sweet ! Well that little girl is 25 today and Dr has taken care of many of my babies that I fostered ! I have kept in touch with him over the years with photo's of my family ! Having 5 and adopting 10 ! I send my love to his special family and comfort ! Love pat van Zanten
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