Obituary of Steven Mark Barnes

White-tailed deer and small mouth bass are resting a little easier today knowing they are no longer being pursued by Steve Barnes. Steven Mark Barnes, of Girard, began fishing and hunting in heaven on Sunday, January 31, 2016. Born on February 22, 1952, Steven was the oldest son of Sam and Helen Barnes. Steve and his wife Patty were married for 39 years. They enjoyed a quiet life in the cabin home they built in Girard. Steve was the step-father to Angela (Carl) Try of Chatham and Jodie (Mikel) Sealey of Girard, who instilled many valuable life lessons such as turning the lights off when you leave a room, and the urgency of cleaning out dryer lint for fear of burning the house down. Steve enjoyed teaching his eight grandchildren how to shoot with a bow, ride a four-wheeler and fish. His two brothers, Jeff Barnes of Castle Rock, CO, and Sam Barnes, Jr. of Mt. Vernon, IL and two sisters, Cindy (Ken) Sutton of Casa Grande, AZ and Tammy (Kevin) Murphy of Atwater, IL can now share loads of embarrassing childhood stories without fear of retaliation. See the Memorial Service information below to learn more about where you can hear those stories. If you have ever driven on freshly asphalted, smooth roads around Central Illinois, you can thank Steve for those. As an owner/operator of Steve Barnes Trucking, he hauled asphalt to many projects all over the area. During the “off season” you could find Steve in one of his many deer stands pursuing his passion of bow hunting or plowing his friends’ driveways. He was an avid fisherman and loved having a beer and going mushroom hunting. Please join the family in saying farewell. Visitation is planned for Saturday, February 6th, 2016 at Davis Anderson Funeral Home in Girard from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. with a memorial service at 1:00 p.m. Family, friends and co-workers are also welcome to share a memory and dinner at the family’s home afterwards. Steve wasn’t an avid gardener, leaving that to his wife. So, instead of flowers - please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society: <https://donate.cancer.org/index?gclid=CNWLv83X1soCFYM8aQodpNwPZA> Or the National Wildlife Federation: <https://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/More-Ways-to-Give/Memorial-Gifts.aspx>