Stanley Louis Barnes

Stanley Louis Barnes, 87, of Nathrop, Colorado passed away peacefully May 14, 2019. He was born December 12, 1931, in Wichita, Kansas, to William E. and Lena B. (Gruver) Barnes. After spending his early years in Enid, Oklahoma, St. Louis, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Stan graduated from Central High School in Tulsa. The Oklahoma weather made quite an early impression on Stan, and following high school he pursued a lifelong passion in weather forecasting and research meteorology. He attended the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa. Stan served in the Navy from 1950-54, where he attended Aerographer’s Mate School and served as a weather observer and radiosonde operator, based in Hawaii. He studied at Oklahoma A&M University (now Oklahoma State University), and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University. In 1960 he moved to Norman, Oklahoma to become one of six founding members of the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology. He worked as both a special instructor and associate research scientist while completing his doctorate in meteorology at OU. Stan’s career in meteorology included weather observer, forecaster, researcher and project leader at both the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colorado. While the Great Plains thunderstorms were his specialty, he fell in love with the mountain weather during his years in Colorado. Stan spent his retirement years in his home in Nathrop, Colorado, with a view of four 14,000-foot mountains out his back window. Stan was a constant learner, as well as a teacher, and shared his passion and love of weather, the environment and the mountains with his daughters and many others. He was an avid sailor, enjoyed snow skiing, backpacking and hiking the Rocky Mountains. Stan was a dedicated volunteer with The Colorado Trail system for more than 20 years, working with the U.S. Forest Service to help maintain the 485 miles of trails. He was also an enthusiast for his cats, gardening, photography and music. Stan is survived by his wife, Ruth (Runge) Barnes; daughter Caryn Odgers and her husband, Ed; daughter Tracey Barnes; and their mother, Richa Barnes; his sister, Myrna Dahlstrom; sister, Nancy Hamilton; and brother Bill Barnes, and his wife, Trixy; along with many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, James Barnes, and sister-in-law, Oleta Barnes; and brother-in-law,Ray Dahlstrom.

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