Barnes, Kenneth George died unexpectedly and suddenly on September 5th, 2023 at the age of 75. He was driving home from Chicago with his wife, Kay, after a joy filled weekend of sailing with his brother Tom and family in the Chicago harbor out of Columbia Yacht Club, when he suffered a cardiac arrest. Ken was born in Cleveland, Ohio on February 19th, 1948 to Dorothy and Alfred Barnes. Al worked for IBM in New York, Cleveland, Detroit, and finally Chicago. Ken inherited his strong work ethic from his father. Dorothy was a traditional homemaker. His parents were avid boaters and Ken developed a love for the sport too. Ken graduated from Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL in 1966. He then attended Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL earning a degree in Business. Ken had a low draft number, so he spent one year as an Army clerk in Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war. He always downplayed this, telling how it was there he took up running and photography. After his tour of duty, he returned to Western Illinois University where he earned a Master's degree in Business. Ken then moved to Oakland, California, working for Pacific Stereo. Music was a clear passion - especially Rock & Roll, Blues, and Jazz. He joined Musicland in LA, California, and was transferred to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983 where he met Kay at a Ski Club social. Ken was there for the skiing and Kay was there for the social. They married on May 19th, 1984. In 1989, they had one daughter, Jennie, of whom Ken was very proud. Ken loved to golf, playing every week at Braemar Public Golf course in Edina, MN. He loved running and going to the gym. In his younger days he used to race dirt bikes and he always loved fast cars. He was especially proud of his new 2023 VW GTI which he was driving home from Chicago, and which survived the cardiac arrest with nary a scratch when it landed in the ditch on I-90 south of Wisconsin Dells. Kay also survived the accident unscathed thanks to Ken's steadfast driving skills even when under duress. Ken worked for many of the major companies in Minneapolis. After Musicland, he worked for REGIS, Carlson Companies, and United Healthcare. He applied his skills from a career in Project Management to every trip he & Kay planned, leaving many 3 ring binders of excel spreadsheets archiving their travel adventures around the world. Ken doted on his three grandchildren, and never hesitated to get down on the ground and play with Soren, Nellie, and Peter. Ken is survived by his wife Kay Johnson, daughter Jennie Barnes Manning (Sam), and grandchildren Soren, Nellie and Peter Manning. Ken is also survived by his brother Tom Barnes (Janet Holden), niece Ali Ann Barnes, nephew Paul Barnes, of Chicago, cousin Susan Davis of Phoenix, AZ, sister-in-law Carol Mischke (Robert), and niece Ciel Mischke of Dallas, TX. Interment at Lakewood Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, November 5th at 2pm at Braemar Golf Course clubhouse.

Published on October 15, 2023