Lewis "Brant" Barnes' Obituary
The State of Arkansas lost its second most ambitious entrepreneur on Friday, January 6th. Lewis “Brant” Barnes, 43, of Tontitown, AR was born on June 28th, 1979 in Mountain Home, AR to Marvin Lewis Barnes and Jana (Love) Barnes.
Brant loved life, loved his family, and loved helping others reach goals they thought unreachable. He grew up in Mountain Home, Arkansas and graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1997, winning the baseball state championship that same year.
Brant went on to graduate from the University of Arkansas in 2001 with a degree in business. He was a huge Razorback fan but especially admired Arkansas’s own Mr. Sam Walton (who he would’ve called Arkansas’s most ambitious entrepreneur).
Following in the footsteps of his father, Brant started his business journey by becoming an agent with Shelter Insurance. As with anything Brant got involved in, he wanted to be the best (and usually was). Within a few years he won the Shelter Insurance Agent of the Year in 2009, and never fell far from the top following that achievement.
At his core, he was an entrepreneur and in 2005 added restauranteur to his title when he became a Papa John’s Pizza franchisee. He went on to open multiple stores in Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. To name all the businesses and endeavors Brant was involved in would take a team of writers a month to sort through, but the short list includes: agent, real estate investor, pizza maker extraordinaire, car flipper, pilot, boat captain, travel guide, diamond dealer. Brant worked continuously to push his businesses to the next level. He also pushed himself physically by running more than 1500 miles per year and playing racquetball twice a week at 5:00 AM.
Brant married the love of his life, Leslie Linville, of Memphis, TN in 2004. Per Brant’s style, he proposed in Destin, FL and was married on the beach a few days later. Brant loved his daughter Morgan and her independent spirit.
In 2005 they welcomed their son Lawson to the world. After Lawson’s autism diagnosis, Leslie took on the additional role as primary advocate for their son. At the same time Brant redoubled his energy to make sure he could support Lawson as needed. He was so thankful for Leslie and the amount of respect and admiration he had for her was immense. She was his superhero!
In the words of B. Barnes, “Buckle up and drive safe!”
He is survived by his wife, Leslie Barnes; his daughter, Morgan Linville of Witter, AR; his son, Brant Lawson Barnes; his parents, Lewis and Jana Barnes of Mountain Home, AR; his sister, Layne Bruce of Atlanta, GA; his sister, Lori Gregory of Mountain Home, AR; his paternal grandmother, Elma Barnes of Searcy, AR; and his two grandchildren, Jadeian and Nova Scott.
On Monday, January 16th, the family will receive friends beginning at 1:00 PM with a Celebration of Life service at 2:00 PM at Real Life Church at 1326 Rossi Road, Mountain Home, AR 72653.
A public visitation will be held Wednesday, January 18th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Nelson Berna Funeral Home at 4520 N. Crossover Road, Fayetteville, AR 72764.
A private service for family and a small number of friends in Fayetteville will also take place.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to HALO (Helping Autism Through Learning and Outreach). More information may be found on their website (www.halo-soma.org).
What’s your fondest memory of Lewis "Brant"?
What’s a lesson you learned from Lewis "Brant"?
Share a story where Lewis "Brant"'s kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Lewis "Brant" you’ll never forget.
How did Lewis "Brant" make you smile?