Samuel R Barnard, 93, of East Bridgewater, our loving father went to heaven on October 12th after a brief illness. He was born the youngest son of the late Gertrude (Aydelott) Barnard and Sam Barnard of Grandy, NC on Jan. 22, 1923.
Upon graduation from high school in North Carolina, he enlisted in the US Navy to serve his country in the early days of WW2. He was first stationed in Squantum Navy air base, in Quincy, MA. Soon after Pearl Harbor, he was deployed. During deployment the PBY plane he was in was believed to have been hit by enemy fire and crashed in the ocean. Miraculously, with only one arm functioning, he was able to make his way to a life raft while men all around were devoured by sharks. Once in the raft the men floated without food or water for four days with the sharks continuously harassing. Of the 38 men only 13 survived until rescue. It was during his long hospital stay in Haiti that he was given a Bible and thus began his long and deep love for the Lord and the scriptures.
After Discharge from the Navy he worked for Quincy Public Works Dept. for 42 years, retiring as superintendent. His family was first and foremost in his life, and closely followed by his horses and dog (ducks, goats, and pigs etc. too). He was well known for his horse training abilities.
He had attended the Calvary Baptist Church, in Hanson and Immanuel Baptist Church in Brockton. He served the Lord quietly behind the scenes, spending countless hours cleaning and sweeping the church.
It was in Quincy that he met and wed his bride of 61 years, the late Doris (Spink) Barnard. They moved to East Bridgewater in 1956. He is survived by his children Doris Boti, of W. Bridgewater; Janet Smith and husband James, of E. Bridgewater; Samuel Barnard, Jr. and wife Ellen (Woodman) of Halifax; and David Barnard and wife Kim (Uburtis) of Pembroke, MA. He was the brother to the late Elsie Dowdy, and Ervin Barnard of N. Carolina. God has blessed him with 12 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and 4 great, great grandchildren. Dad was a man of extreme integrity, faith, and wisdom, combined with extraordinary devotion to his family. He shall be sorely missed by all but; he is now safe in the arms of Jesus.
Visiting hours shall be Sunday 3-7 PM at the Blanchard Funeral Chapel, 666 Plymouth St., Whitman, MA. Funeral services shall be at 11:00AM at the Immanuel Baptist Church, 92 Alger St., Brockton, MA. Internment shall be private at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.