James B. Barrett

James Bernard Barrett, 93, of Fort Dodge, formerly of Moorland, passed away on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at Friendship Haven. Funeral services will be 9:45 a.m. Thursday, October 27, 2016 at Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home and then a Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Moorland with Msgr. Kevin McCoy officiating. Burial will follow at Our Lady of Good Counsel Cemetery, Moorland. A visitation will be 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with a K of C Rosary at 7:30 p.m. and a Vigil at 8:00 p.m. Jim is survived by his wife, Virginia and seven children: Steve (Shelley) Barrett of Moorland, Robert (Tamara) Barrett of Waukee, IA, Barb (Jerry) Streit of Gilbert, AZ, Bernie (Liz) Barrett of Belmond, IA, Joe (Jeanne) Barrett of Des Moines, IA, JoAnn (Ralph) Harper of Livingston, MT, and Betty (Keith) Stuhrenberg of Barnum, IA; 21 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Brother-in-laws Edward Crawford of Waite Park, MN, Leo (Shirley) Crawford of Rochester, IL; sisters-in-law, Kathleen Knox of Duluth, MN; Patricia (Lloyd) Schreier of Manson, IA; Judy (Tom) Roberts of Hernando Beach, FL; and Joan (Jack) McMartin of Castle Rock, CO. He was preceded in death by his parents Michael and Johanna (O'Connor) Barrett, a brother Francis, daughter Dorothy, son Richard, granddaughter, Theresa Barrett; brother-in-law, Allen Knox; and sisters-in-law; Rose Lee Crawford & Marion Crawford. James Bernard Barrett was born October 28, 1922 in Fort Dodge. He graduated from Moorland High School on May 24, 1939. He married Virginia Rose Crawford January 7, 1948 at St. Joseph Church in Barnum. The couple established their home on the family farm in Moorland, moving to Fort Dodge in 2011. He farmed all his life until retiring in 1991. For 34 years he was employed as a rural mail carrier in Moorland and Lehigh. He helped build and worked at the fertilizer plants in Moorland and Barnum. Jim played many years of semi-pro baseball for Hormel/Tobin Packing, Fonda Merchants and Gowrie Merchants baseball teams. He played softball for Dr. McDonalds and the Moorland Merchants and was inducted into the Fort Dodge Softball Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1999, Jim was inducted into the Knights of Columbus State Bowling Association Hall of Fame. One of his favorite pastimes was coaching the Moorland Little League baseball team; the Moorland Basketball team and for years coached the Wilholte Construction Girls Softball team. He was a member of the Webster County Fire Fighters for over 30 years and a member of the Moorland Volunteer Fire department for 55 years serving as fire chief for 13 years. He became a member of the Knights of Columbus Council #613 in 1942; serving as Grand Knight of the 3rd degree and Faithful Navigator in the 4th degree of the Knights of Columbus. He spent many years helping with Operation Christmas. Jim enjoyed going to his children and grandchildren's activities especially, sporting events. He loved working on his word puzzle books. He was a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorland. After retirement they traveled to Ireland and Rome took a Caribbean cruise and took many bus trips around the United States. While living at Friendship Haven he enjoyed many activities, especially bingo. Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family. Visitation Wed, Oct 26, 2016 at 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home 307 South 12th Street Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 K of C Rosary 7:30 p.m. & Vigil 8:00 p.m. Service Thu, Oct 27, 2016 at 10:30 am Our Lady of Good Counsel Church 100 Main St Moorland, Iowa 50566