Donald J. Barnes

1936 - 2019

September 1, 1936 - May 11, 2019
Donald J. Barnes passed peacefully at his home of 46 years on May 11, 2019. Don was born to Monte and Mamie Barnes September 1, 1936 in Colorado Springs, CO. His family moved to Southern California for a few years before returning to Colorado. He graduated high school early, furthered his education, received his clinical psychology degree from The University of Colorado Boulder and worked towards his PhD at Ohio State University. Don graduated from the US Air Force Officer Training School and began performing experimental research on primates. After many years, Don questioned the ethics and necessity of the testing and became a strong advocate for animal rights. Don quickly became a vegan, traveled the world speaking and advocating for the rights of all non-human animals. He was a strong advocate who spoke, debated and rallied for alternatives to the use of non-human animals in testing. Don believed strongly that no non-human animal should die for human consumption. Don was a voice for the voiceless! Don was active with wildlife rescues and cared for a feral cat colony practicing TNR at his home for 19 years.
His compassion for all beings was evident and he would be the first to tell you that he preferred his companion animals over most people. Don's love for beautiful women, vegan cooking, tequila, reading, gardening, late nights with his book club, jazz music, a good crossword puzzle, making limoncello, playing pool, having a beer, smoking a cigarette and strong black coffee were just a few of his many passions he actively enjoyed until the very end. He loved putzing around his home in Beacon Hill, a strong thunderstorm, the soft light at dusk he fondly called, "the gloaming", taking on many projects, running his cat fence business and staying active.


This great man was a partner in life to Alice. He was a father, stepfather, grand father, son, brother, uncle and a dear friend to many all over the world. He was the most charming man you would ever meet. He will be sorely missed by his companion animals and all that had the honor of knowing him. A Celebration of his Life will be held on Saturday, May 25th at Fast Eddie's Billiard's 502 Embassy Oaks San Antonio, TX.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Primarily Primates are greatly appreciated. www.primarily primates.org. Don's legacy is large, and he will be greatly missed by his loves and all that loved him.