Sylvester Barnes

Sylvester Barnes lived an extraordinary life. Born on July 24, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, the first child of Clara Mae Troutman Barnes and Heist Barnes, Sr., Sylvester was called home on January 16, 2016, following a brief illness. In between those dates was a life fully lived. Sylvesters life was characterized by hard work, sacrifice, dedication to family, and a desire to continually grow and challenge himself. He spent most of his school-age years in Baltimore, Maryland where his family settled. As the oldest of eleven children, he took on the role of patriarch early in life, leaving school after the 11th grade to help provide for his siblings. A few years later, at age 20, he was drafted into the Army and served as a corporal in the 485th Engineers stationed in Regensburg, Germany from 1953-1955. During his service, he received a Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Occupation Medal. After serving in the Army, Sylvester returned to Baltimore and soon met the love of his life, Willie Mae Alston. They married on April 1, 1956 and together raised six children. Sylvester supported his growing family as a laborer at Bethlehem Steel Company. He was extremely hard-working. In addition to his primary job at Bethlehem, he often worked two part-time jobs to make ends meet. His children remember fondly his part-time job operating an ice cream truck, and helping him count all the coins at the end of the day. In 1967, Sylvester moved his family to Compton, California, hoping to provide a better life for them. He exceeded his goal. He learned how to paint vehicles from his brother-in-law, Earl James, which prepared him for a position painting airplanes at Continental Airlines. He worked at Continental for 25 years, ultimately becoming a highly regarded supervisor in the paint shop. He was among the first African-Americans to hold a supervisory role at the company. By 1976, he and Willie Mae were able to purchase a comfortable home in Corona and he continued to commute to Los Angeles for work. He disliked the long drive, but when asked how he sustained it, his response typified his approach to life: “I dont think about how hard it is, I just do it. If I thought about it, it would beat me up.” Sylvester retired from Continental Airlines in 1995, but stayed very active pursuing his life-long interests in electronics, building and flying model airplanes, constructing LED boxes, and assembling computers. He was someone who could read instructions in a book or watch a video tutorial on YouTube and build or install just about anything he wanted, including patios and Jacuzzis. His greatest strength was being an extraordinary patriarch of a very large, extended family. His family looked to him because of his sound judgment, integrity, acceptance of others, wisdom, and compassion. He was always honest, sometimes bluntly so, but you always knew he was looking out for you. Although he was not an openly religious person, it was clear his life was guided by a strong faith and that the good Lord looked fondly upon him because he gave so much love to others and was loved dearly in return. Visitation Location Not Available Thursday 1/28, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Service Location Not Available Thursday 1/28, 12:00 pm Cemetery Riverside National Cemetery Staging Area #4 Thursday 1/1