Gary A. Barnard

Gary Alan Barnard, 68, of Goldtown, WV, and formerly of Cross Lanes, WV, passed away on June 6, 2025, at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV.

Gary is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Barbara; his sons, David Plantz (wife Brooke) of Denver, CO, and John Barnard (wife Brittany) of Morgantown, WV; and his cherished grandchildren, Logan and Valerie. He is also survived by his father, Richard Barnard (wife Caron) of Pennsboro, WV; and his sister, Pamela Barnard Middleton (husband Jeff) of Parkersburg, WV. In addition, Gary leaves behind many beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Gary was a proud alumnus of Marshall University, where he earned both his bachelor’s degree and MBA. A CPA and CVA by training, Gary was serving as Director of Customer Service at Mountaineer Gas Company at the time of his passing. He previously held the role of Controller at Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation.

A lifelong baseball enthusiast, Gary devoted many years to coaching and mentoring young athletes. He was an Assistant Baseball Coach at Ripley High School and spent countless seasons with Ripley Little League, serving both on the field and in leadership roles.

True to his generous spirit, Gary made the decision to donate his body to the WVU School of Medicine Human Gift Registry, contributing to the education of future medical professionals.

A Memorial Celebration of Gary’s life will be held at Waybright Funeral Home in Ripley, WV, on July 20, 2025. Visitation will be from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, followed by a memorial service from 4:00 to 5:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to support scholarships for student-athletes through the Gary Barnard Fund – “Rounding Third”, in collaboration with the Jackson County Community Foundation:

www.jccfinc.org

108 Church Street North, Ripley, WV 25271.