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John Barnett (Class of 71)--March 4, 2009.
Dr. John B. Barnett, a compassionate dentist, trusted employer, and wise and generous friend, died Wednesday March 4, 2009 at home, after a 13-month fight against cancer. He was 55. A friend asked John last week if the often exhausting treatments had been worth it.  He nodded vigorously.  He had gained additional months to travel and to spend time with people he loved, he said. “I did the things I wanted to do.”  John was born April 21, 1953, in Brookhaven, Miss., and grew up in suburban Memphis where he graduated from Hillcrest High School 1971.   After two years at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, John studied at the UT Center for Health Sciences in Memphis.   He earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy and a doctorate in dental science in 1979. Five years later he moved to St. Petersburg, working first with another dentist and then opening his own practice in Seminole in 1988.   John loved being a dentist.   He especially liked connecting with his patients, helping them make their own decisions to maintain and improve their oral health.  “You can absolutely change the way people think about themselves through proper dentistry,” he said.   Johns other lifelong passion was boating, especially the social pleasure of gathering friends to spend time on the water.   Fishing didn't interest him much. “If I want to go fishing, I go to Publix,” he said.   John believed in community service.   He served on the board of Metropolitan Charities Inc. for 12 years.   Last fall, the organization honored him with its first annual Lifetime Service Award, to be named in perpetuity after him. John is survived by his mother, Ann Tomlinson Barnett of Germantown, TN; his father, J.B. Barnett of Bartlett; his brother Edwin Lee “Buzzy” Barnett, sister-in-law Karen and their three children Ryan, Kristin. and Melissa, of Germantown; his aunt Georgia Haughey of Treasure Island.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at First Unity Church in St. Petersburg, FL.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude or Metro Charities of St. Petersburg, FL.

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