Ronald William Barnett

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ronald W. Barnett at age 94. He went peacefully in his sleep on the evening of May 23rd, 2025, at St. Lukes Hospital in Ketchum, Idaho.

Ron was born in London, England on May 27th, 1930, to William Samual Barnett and Jessica Caroline Barnett. He had two siblings, Babs (1 year older) and Brian (11 years younger.) He attended private schools throughout his youth, learning to play the clarinet in his teens. Eventually, this led to playing duets with his brother-in-law, Chris.

Ron was a child during the war in England and remembered the many times he was woken in the night and marched to the shelter as bombs exploded around him. When morning came, the family would emerge from the shelter to see what houses were left standing.

At the age of 18, Ron went into the Army. At the time there was still conscription in England, and he was called to do 2 years of military service. The Army branch he was posted in was the REME which stands for The Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers. After basic training he was sent to Egypt. He played clarinet in the army band and completed his 2 years of service. Soon after leaving the Army, he began working nights in an engineering factory and spending afternoons at Queens Ice Club in Bayswater learning to skate. He was coached by Sheila Boyle and eventually completed his gold medal status for ice dancing in both England and the United States.

Ron married Sheila Boyle and they both served on the instructional staff at Queens Ice Club, Princeton Skating Club, and Sutros in San Francisco. They had three children: Maria, Peter, and Scott. Although their marriage ended, they remained close friends.

In September of 1979, Ron married Julie Pugh. They met in Sun Valley in 1978, when Julie asked if he could partner her for the Silver Free Dance test. He said Yes. They had 1 child, Tiffany. Together they coached at various rinks in Chicago. In 1992 they relocated after accepting an offer to run the skating program in Jackson, Wyoming. In 2003, they returned to Sun Valley Idaho to live full time. They continued to teach skating and enjoyed the many social events that go along with being part of a large skating community.

Ron loved conversation and always enjoyed sharing stories with family and friends. He had an amazing ability to make new friends everywhere he went. He loved visits from family and adored his grandchildren, always making special memories for them. In 2023, he was thrilled when he got to meet his great-granddaughter. His other hobbies included building. He often made shelves for the house and planters for the garden along with constructing decks for 2 different homes. He also had a love for airplanes and flying.

In his later years, he often said “I have no regrets. I’ve lived a wonderful life.”

Ron is survived by his wife Julie, his brother Brian, his children Maria, Peter, Scott and Tiffany, his grandchildren and great-granddaughter. We always wanted Ron to write a book about all his adventures, the people he met, and the stories surrounding them all. He never got the chance to do that, so we would like to ask everyone to please share a memory or story and a picture or two in the keepsake book at www.woodriverchapel.com. That would truly be something for us to treasure.

The family would like to extend a special heartfelt thank you to the wonderful care staff at St. Lukes Hospital.

A Celebration of Life will take place at the Sawtooth Botanical Gardens in Ketchum, Idaho, on August 9th, 2025, from 2:00-4:00pm.