M. Dean Barnes

M. Dean Barnes
July 25, 1927 - April 9, 2014

M. Dean Barnes was born at home in Mesa, Colorado, on July 25, 1927, the son of Mirvel "Bill" and Minnie Barnes.
He was very fond of horses and was an excellent rider.
He enlisted in the Navy in 1945, but due to his father's illness, he was called back home to help with the dairy farm.
He married Janet McDaniel on July 24, 1949. They were blessed with a baby daughter in June.
Dean worked for Dick Lloyd after his mother decided to sell the dairy farm. Later, he went to work for Carbon Freight Line where he ran the mail truck from Thompson, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado.
He moved his family to Price, Utah where they lived from 1956 - 1967. Here, they were blessed with a baby boy. Dean went to work for Rio Grand Motorway, driving from Grand Junction to Salt Lake City, Utah for approximately 30 years and chalked up more than two million accident free miles. He and his family moved back to Grand Junction, Colorado in 1967.
When Rio Grande closed down in 1980, Dean went to work for Ryder Truck Rental and transferred trucks. He became lead driver and would take a crew of men to many places, including Oregon, Washington and Arizona, to bring trucks to Grand Junction as people were leaving the area because Exon Oil shut down in Battlement Mesa, Colorado. He ran the rental office, but preferred to be on the road. When Ryder closed down the rental department, Dean went to work for Budget Rental and decided to retire at 80 years of age.
Dean joined the Mesa County Sheriff's Posse in 1969 and was President in 2002. In addition, he served on the Board of the Posse for several years, He has worked with West Lake Events since 2002, to put on the Denver Bronco Basketball game and other money raising events for the Posse. He helped with roping, gymkhanas, selling rodeo ads and tickets, search and rescue, setting up and taking down the rodeo arenas and assisted with the Mesa County Fair. He has always helped out with Posse events where needed. Dean enjoyed his many years with the Mesa County Posse and all of the new friends he made.
Dean is survived by his loving wife of 64 years; his daughter, Charmaine Stewart, and his five grandchildren, Meriah Barnes, Danae Stewart, Jess (Melissa) Barnes, and Trent (Stephanie) Barnes. He is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, son, brother, and granddaughter.
A viewing will be held at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary, at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16th, 2014. The funeral will take place at 11:00 a.m., with burial immediately following at the Clover Cemetery in Collbran, Colorado.