David (Dave) Barnes's Holy Spirit was released to be returned to God on the 14th of December 2021 peacefully at his home in Pullman, as a result of heart failure. Dave was born on the 9th of October 1938 in Wilburn, Oklahoma. His family moved to California, where he grew up.  Dave began his life-long journey in higher education at Sacramento State College, earning his BA in Mathematics (1961). He continued his education, obtaining an MS in Mathematics (1963) and a PhD in Mathematics (1967) from the University of California, Davis. During his graduate days, Dave received a prestigious NSF Fellowship. He retired as an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Washington State University in 1999. He was very instrumental in the development of the WSU Mathematics Department's Computing Center, from its early room filling computer with punched cards to the advanced computers of the day. Dave's research area was in the mathematical theory of inequalities, an area in which he published many articles. Dave continued to work on his research until the time of his passing.

Dave and his first wife, Lois, became the guardians of Alan and David Meyer in 1970 after the death of their parents, Paul and Neila "Pat" Meyer. He also adopted Michael Barnes after the marriage to his second wife, Edie. All three boys remained close to Dave and valued their association with him to the present day. Dave was an avid photographer. He enjoyed fishing, camping, canoeing, and bicycling. His retirement allowed him more time to do several woodworking projects for his church and his home. He also completed some extensive "Barnes family" genealogy research in his spare time.

Dave developed many deep and lasting friendships among his colleagues and others he got to know over his years in Pullman, thanks to his good nature, humor, and kind spirit. Among those was a group of pranksters who enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other and members of the math department. One of their better jokes involved the first USA space station, Skylab.  Skylab was launched in 1973 and on July 11, 1979, it reentered the Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated. Dave, with the help of others, put together a welded assembly of scrap steel, painted it black with the stenciled words: ``Skylab PART #****". It was then half-buried in the front lawn of Tom and Julie Lutz, WSU astronomers. They were out of town during Skylab's reentry, but upon returning from their trip were amazed to find ``part of Skylab'' in their yard.  During the 1980's, every summer month a local civic organization picked one yard on each of the city's four hills as the best-groomed yard. For a month each yard so chosen displayed a sign saying: "City of Pullman, Yard of the Month''. Professor Charles Millham and his wife, upon returning from a trip one summer discovered in their yard a sign saying: "City of Pullman, Yard  of the Month, Last Place''.

Dave married Virginia Hyde in 1987, treasuring 32 years together prior to her passing in 2019.  A fellow educator, Virginia's dedication and passion for literature matched Dave's for mathematics, inspiring mutual admiration and support. They enriched each other's lives in so many ways, to the delight of their families and wide circle of friends. In addition to Virginia, Dave was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother. He is survived by Alan and David Meyer and Michael Barnes, six grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be scheduled later so friends and family can gather safely. The family asked that memorials for Dave be in the form of donations to local charities that work to ensure food and housing security in your community. Cards and inquiries can be sent to Mike and Tracy Milano, PO Box 412, Palouse WA 99161.  Corbeill Funeral Home of Pullman, WA (formerly Kimball Funeral Home) has been entrusted with arrangements.