Leon Barnes Jr.

Leon Robert Barnes Jr., age 66 of Nashville, TN passed away Tuesday, May 10, 2016. He was born on August 17, 1949 in Traverse City, MI to Leon Robert Barnes Sr. and Shirley Marie Sutter Barnes.Leon graduated from Elk Rapids High School and continued his studies at Northwestern, MI. He went on to marry his soul mate and best friend Yvonne Y. Bowman on February 10, 1979. Together they moved to Nashville, TN where he started his own business, General Service Contractors. He had a great passion for the Lord's work and became a Deacon after which he and his wife Yvonne began a music ministry, "Living Water Christian Ministry." After 30 years, he semi-retired from GSC. He then took on a part time position with Turenne PharMedCo delivering medications to nursing facilities, finding ways to minister as he made his deliveries.Leon set the example for his family, putting the needs of others before his own, sharing everything he owned with anyone in need. He easily gained everyone's respect and was a natural born leader. He was a man of strong faith, believing in the power and strength of Jesus Christ's love. This all translated into years of service as God's hands and feet. Along with his unique sense of humor and excellent cooking skills he literally took "feed my sheep" to a whole other level.
His favorite quote was "It's not about you or me-it's about Jesus".His hobbies included woodworking, cooking, running sound for music, gardening, feeding wildlife (and people), fishing, and bird-watching.
Mr. Barnes is survived by his wife, Yvonne Y. Barnes; daughters Tanya (Paul) Smiszek; Mindy (Shannon) White; and Tiffany Kittrell; son, Mark (Jennifer) Barnes; grandchildren, Brian T. Butts, Amanda L. Butts, Jasmine (Stevens) Hiland, Jacob D. Barnes, Andrew J. Kittrell, Kaylee M. Morgan, Angela G. Smiszek, Joshua R. Barnes and Alexis P. Burr; sisters, Judy (Don) Haller and Char (Doug) Gusha; and brother, Brad (Polly) Barnes.A service to celebrate Mr. Barnes' life will be held at 3:00 P.M., June 4, 2016 at Madison Christian Church, 605 W. Old Hickory Blvd, Madison, TN with Greg Matthews and Tim Baines officiating.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Madison Christian Church.