Sept.
14, 1925 - March 30, 2010MISHAWAKA - Harvey Fredrick Barnhart, 84, passed away on Tuesday, March 30th, in the Waterford at Edison Lakes, Mishawaka. "Barney" Barnhart, as his friends called him, was born in LaPorte, IN, as a twin who passed away his first week of life, to Vera Young and Fred Barnhart. He was the oldest son and one of five children. He was preceded in death by Evelyn Piecuch of Michigan City, Marjorie Jensen of Kokomo, IN, Richard Barnhart of New Lenox, IL, and Donald Barnhart of Seattle, WA. Proud to have served as a U.S. Marine in WW II, he had to get his parents permission due to the fact he was too young. He served in Saipan and Tinian and Okinawa in 1943, 1944 and 1945 as a field artillery crewman. Then he was called back as an instructor for artillery crewmen for the Korean War in 1952. Between the two wars, Barney met his future wife when his mother Vera introduced him to Gladys Varda at the Sugar Ration Board in South Bend. Barney and Gladys married at St. Bavo Catholic Church, Mishawaka, on Gladys' birthday, September 1, 1947, and built a home in Rose Park in 1949. Here they built not only a house but a home, and filled it with friends and family, regularly with pool parties, cookouts, Sunday brunches and choir parties. He served proudly as a City of Mishawaka Police Officer where he retired with the rank of Captain of Detectives in August 1972. Once delivering a baby in the back seat of a squad car. Making lifelong friends like Pete and Doralyn Stebbins, Bob and Lorraine DeGeeter, Moose and Ginny DeGeyter, LeRoy and Jeanne Vanbruane. The wonderful and kind things he did in his life are countless along with the people who loved him. His advice to Mara was "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." And Gladys' advice backed that up with "if they do ---- consider the source and move on." We were so lucky to have been chosen by them. Yes, chosen, Barney and Gladys adopted three children: the oldest, James Barnhart, who married Donita Catanzarite and now have three children, Adam, Catherine and Joseph, all of Mishawaka; the oldest daughter, Patricia Ann Barnhart, who is single and lives with her cat, Twinkie, also of Mishawaka; and the youngest, Mara Barnhart, who now lives in the family home and has a son, Kevin Steen, and a daughter, Melissa Steen, and "Barney's Girls," great-granddaughters, Gabby and Cienna. Gladys passed away on January 23, 2006, at Hospice House in Roseland. After three years at home, Barney moved on by re-visiting the past. For Father's Day 2007, Patricia and Mara surprised him by taking him on a trip to Millersville, OH, to visit a WW II buddy by the name of Billy Hill and his lovely wife, Lola. They had kept in touch over the 63 years since they shared a foxhole in WW II. An unforgettable three days at Bill and Lola's home where they not only welcomed us, but also had a ramp built special so Barney's scooter could go in and out of their home with ease. What good, kind, gracious people that generation yielded. We all felt right at home. Barney was feeling great and so the second half of his Father's Day present was revealed... we had booked us all the way to Washington, DC, where we visited the new WW II Memorial that both Barney and Gladys were in. 2000 miles were logged on the van's odometer in those two weeks along with great times and wonderful memories for all. It was the last trip before he moved into the Waterford, where he spent his last days on Earth. His sweetheart next door, Millie Rosenfeld, his great friend, Myra Ahrens, and his across-the-hall friend, Jean Gastel, all of who called and stopped daily even before he got sick. Barney was also in the drama club at the Waterford, called "the Park Players." He was into everything for the last year of his life, and he was happy to be there with everyone. That is why the viewing and the funeral will be at the Waterford Retirement Community at Edison Lakes, 1025 Park Place, Mishawaka, on Saturday, April 3rd, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. He will then be buried at Fairview Cemetery next to his wife, Gladys, and in-laws, Mary and Jim Varda, on the West Side of the Cemetery, right at the roadside. Wave to him when you pass by and say a prayer when you think of him. He'll be up in Heaven watching over you as your guardian angel. In memory of Harvey, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, 111 Sunnybrook Court, South Bend, IN 46637. To leave the family an online condolence or to share memories with the family, please visit our website at www.hahnfuneralhomes.com.