William D. "Bill" Barrett

A memorial service for William D. "Bill" Barrett, 67, of Tyler will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2012, at 1 p.m. at Lanes Chapel United Methodist Church with the Rev. Bob Green and the Rev. Dr. Paul Powell officiating. A private burial will be held prior to the service in Rose Hill Cemetery under direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home.

Mr. Barrett owned and operated Barrett Motor Co. for 26 years in Tyler, selling the dealership in 2004, as well as a sister dealership, Barrett Trucks LLC, in Texarkana, a year later. During his career, he was honored by General Motors in 2000 with the prestigious Jack Smith Leadership Award for being a top 100 volume dealership in the nation.

After graduating from North Texas State University in 1967, Bill worked as a high school drafting and electronics teacher in Dallas schools before going to work for General Motors as a service trainer and working his way up to district sales manager for the Dallas metro division. After nine years with GM, he purchased the Tyler dealership and embarked on his long and successful career, selling GMC trucks and later Buick, Isuzu, Volkswagen, Volvo and Pontiacs.

A native of Emory, and graduate of Rains High School, Bill met the love of his life, Glenda Pittman, at a Methodist youth camp in Lakeview in 1962. They married in 1966 and enjoyed 46 joyful years of marriage. An avid outdoorsman, Bill especially enjoyed golfing, hunting and traveling with Glenda, with whom he also shared a love of photography.

A member of Lanes Chapel United Methodist Church in Tyler, Bill was an active community leader. He served on the boards of directors of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tyler Economic Development Council, as well as on The University of Texas at Tyler Development Board and the Tyler Junior College Foundation Board. He also served as a board member of the Texas Automobile Dealers, Azleway Boys Ranch and the East Texas State Fair.

A lifelong advocate of higher education, Bill used his love for the game of golf to benefit UT Tyler by being the major sponsor in the Eisenhower Golf Classic, a pro-am tournament that attracted such top-ranked professionals as Payne Stewart, Greg Norman and Fred Couples to an event that each year raised funds to benefit scholarship endowments for the school. Along with Glenda, the Barretts continued to serve in various capacities with the Patriot Classic as well as contribute personally to provide student scholarships. Earlier this year, Bill and Glenda were honored as the 2012 recipients of the university's esteemed Patriot of the Year award.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William O. Barrett and Lillian Mae Hare Barrett. In addition to Glenda, he is survived by sisters, Mary Louise Barrett Graham and Frances Joy Barrett Barry and husband Jim; niece, Penny Graham Blair and husband Ken; and nephews, John Barry and wife Cathy and Matt Barry.

Other survivors include brother-in-law, Rudy Pittman and wife Rosemarie; sister-in-law, Betty Pittman Fleming and husband Rob; nephews, Michael Jones and wife Melissa, Tony Jones and wife Kelli, Alan Jones and wife Leisha, Shane Pittman and wife Tonya, Breck Pittman and wife Shanon; and niece, Robbie Fleming.

Pallbearers will be Bill Sheehy, Gene Shull, Gene Molloy, Ben Poole, Ronald Mays, James Hardin and Joe Elliott.

Honorary pallbearers will be dear friend Royce Townsend and employees of Barrett Motor Co.

The family wishes to extend a special thank-you to caregivers, Chad Lincoln, Danny Malone, Barbara Wedgeworth and The Hospice of East Texas.

Visitation will immediately follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, if desired, memorial contributions may be made to the Lanes Chapel United Methodist Church Building Fund, 8720 Old Jacksonville Highway, Tyler, 75703.