Dr. Stan Barnett

1937 - 2017

Stanley A. Barnett, age 80, lifelong adventurer and Christ follower, died in his Wheaton IL home on Sunday, November 12, 2017. Afflicted with a degenerative neurological disease for 20 years, he faced his final challenge with his characteristic endurance and strength.

Stan was born in 1937 in Kijabe, Kenya to missionary parents and attended Rift Valley Academy boarding school. He finished high school at Stony Brook in New York, and went on to graduate from Wheaton College (IL) in 1959, studying pre-med while also running track and playing soccer and serving his country in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC). He attended Albany Medical College and soon after graduation signed up for full time military service with the US Army. He was sent to Vietnam as a Green Beret in 1965. Working as a general medical officer, he met an Australian nurse, Miriam Steer, who he married in Melbourne, Australia in December 1966.

A deep, unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ marked Stan’s character and guided his life. He was disciplined, devoted, driven, generous, gentle, reliable, steady, and strong. Though he worked as an anesthesiologist for 30 years and served as a missionary doctor, he found the most joy and identity in enriching family connections and pursuing adventure. A few adventures he is known for include parachuting, climbing Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro, hunting wild game on foot, scuba diving, traveling the US with his family of 7 in a popup camper, whitewater rafting, spearfishing off a Mombasa reef, running marathons starting at age 50, and carrying the 2002 Olympic torch.

Stan is survived by his wife of 50 years, Miriam Steer Barnett. Stan was a proud father and encourager of his five children and their spouses: Tara and David Van Dyke, Craig and Janet Barnett, Shawn and Erica Barnett, Lori and Brent Edwards, and Scott and Lara Barnett. He cherished each of his 15 grandchildren.

Visitation will be held in the Fireside Room of College Church (322 E. Seminary Ave., Wheaton IL) at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 18, followed by a celebration of life service at 11:00 a.m. Burial with military honors will take place after the service at Oak Hill Cemetery in Geneva IL.

In lieu of flowers, Stan’s family requests that you continue his desire to provide Christian discipleship and outdoor adventure for boys by sending donations to Deerfoot Lodge, PO Box 228, Speculator, NY 12164. (Please specify “Stan Barnett and Family International Fund”) https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E254242&id=12