John Harry Barnhart, W8ZRI, age 85, of Salisbury, North Carolina, passed away Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, at his residence.
He was born Jan. 11, 1924, in Steubenville, Ohio, the son of the late Euphemia Patton Barnhart and John Martin Barnhart. Mr. Barnhart was a 1941 graduate of Steubenville Catholic Central High School and a graduate of St. Frances University.
A Veteran of the United States Army, he served during World War II. He worked as an electrical engineer for AT&T and Carolina Electronics.
John was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Faithful Friends for Life and the American Radio Relay League. He was an avid Ham Radio operator, call sign W8ZRI. John enjoyed tinkering with amateur radio electronics as an extension of his electrical engineering career. He was also fond of communicating on the air on a regular basis with his many friends in his home town of Steubenville, Ohio, especially Joe Plesich, W8DYF.
He never married.
Survivors include his sister, Elizabeth P. Thompson (John) of Salisbury; cousin Eileen Cernawsky; and his beloved cat Blackie. Also surviving are numerous nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday, Dec. 21 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Salisbury, NC. Burial was at the Salisbury National Cemetery with military honors by the Rowan County Honor Guard.
(Some of this post was from the obituary that appeared in the Salisbury Post, Salisbury, NC.)