William Clifton "W.C." Barnes Jr.

William Clifton “W.C.” Barnes Jr., 91, of Atlantic Beach, NC passed away Monday, December 21, 2020 at his home.

A graveside service, honoring his life, will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, December 28, 2020, at the Barnes family plot at Pineview Cemetery in Rocky Mount, NC, officiated by John H. Grayson. Friends are welcome to attend the service. For those unable to attend, the family invites you to view the webcasting of the service through his obituary page on Munden Funeral Home’s website. In keeping with the CDC guidelines pertaining to the Coronavirus, those who are ill or at-risk (elderly, immune-compromised) are encouraged to stay home. Additionally, those who attend will be asked to bring and wear a protective mask. Help us honor the family while practicing safe measures. Friends are also encouraged to leave words of comfort to the family through the website. (See link below for the Service Bulletin including the Order of Service.)

W.C. was born on November 26, 1929, in Durham, NC to the late Maude Jones Barnes and William Clifton Barnes Sr. and was raised in Rocky Mount. He served in the United States Air Force in 1951 through 1952, and received an honorable discharge after his mother, then a widow, was in a debilitating accident and he returned to help.

After graduating from Atlantic Christian College in Wilson, NC, he married his sweetheart Lorraine Joyce Brown of Tarboro, NC and went to work for Commercial Credit Corporation. He worked for the company for more than 30 years in New Bern, NC, Greenville, NC and Rocky Mount, where he worked his way up to loan manager and then overall manager.

While known as a kind-hearted, easy-going boss, he was able to lead the Rocky Mount branch to several national honors within the Baltimore-based company.

W.C. was an active member of Christ Episcopal Church in Rocky Mount for many years, serving in the choir and in several other leadership roles. Most of the rest of his time was spent with his family, which, along with his wife, included a son and daughter. There were frequent family trips to the coast, where he and Lorraine would eventually retire.

After retirement, while fighting several cancers with his usual silly humor, he enjoyed painting, doing any sort of shop work with tools, keeping up with the news, hosting family (especially grandchildren and great grandchildren), hanging with his dogs Poo and later Barney, watching sports (mostly the Tar Heels and Redskins), and working on projects such as Meals on Wheels through churches All Saints Anglican and St. Andrews Episcopal of Morehead City.

He is survived by his wife, Lorraine Brown Barnes of Atlantic Beach; daughter, Vikki Barnes Howard and husband Jim of Oak Island, NC; son, William Clifton Barnes III and wife Andrea of Cary; sister, Jean LaGrange of Rocky Mount; three grandsons, Christopher Nunnally and wife Emily of Greenville, Nicholas Nunnally and wife Khristi of Jacksonville, NC, and William Griffin Barnes of Cary;  along with great grandchildren, Nathan Nunnally and Kaylee Nunnally, both of Jacksonville, Thomas Jarvis and Emmo Nunnally, both of Greenville; nieces, Linda LaGrange Overman and husband Boyd of Greenville, Toni Jean LaGrange Melton of Raleigh, NC, Barbara Huffham of The Villages, FL, Jackie Wilson of Las Vegas, and Waynie Suttle of Tulsa, OK, Georgia Arrington of Fredericksburg, VA; and nephews, Perry LaGrange and wife Cindy of Rocky Mount, NC and Kirk Gardner Jr. of Cary, NC.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Hazel Gardner Miller, Hilda Dorsett, and Mildred Nesbitt; brother, Kirk Gardner; and nieces, Becky Terry, Ann Johnson, and Faye Lancaster.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Raab Cancer Center at Carteret Health Care at P.O. Box 1619, Morehead City, NC 28557.

The family especially thanks his devoted caregivers of several years, Rachel Rivera and Kathy Bolt.

Family and friends are welcome to submit online condolences at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home and Crematory in Morehead City, NC.