Merrimacport - Ronald Alfred Barnes, 82, of Merrimacport, MA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at High Pointe Hospice Center in Haverhill, MA, from complications related to kidney disease.

Born on March 26, 1943, in Kansas City, Missouri, he was the son of Edward Judge Barnes and Iva Fairchild Barnes. During his childhood he lived in Ohio, Virginia, and Florida. He attended Shenandoah Valley Academy for high school in New Market, VA, and graduated in 1961. He later attended the University of Maryland and the University of Miami, and went on to study for several years in the evening program at Boston Architectural College. In the mid-1960s he settled in Massachusetts where he lived in Newburyport, Amesbury, and Merrimacport until his death.

Over the course of his career, Ron worked as a draftsman and a construction project manager at Bedar and Alpers, Essex County, Digital Equipment, Tramwell Crow, and the State of Massachusetts. He was involved in the restoration and renovation of several county courthouses, including the Newburyport Superior Courthouse after it was bombed in 1976. During the early 1970s he was an active member of the Friends of the Waterfront, which worked to preserve and restore downtown Newburyport. He was an avid skier, boater, biker, and birder – spending many peaceful afternoons at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Ron is survived by his wife of forty years, Linda Lake Barnes; his former wife, Jane Skold; children Erika Barnes (Matt Benjamin) and Peter Barnes (Diana Barnes); his grandchildren Simon Benjamin, Owen Benjamin, and Chloe Barnes, and his sisters Johanna Torrisi and Carolyn Grauel.

Services will be private. The Twomey, LeBlanc, & Conte Funeral Home 193 High St. Newburyport, MA 01950 is assisting Mr. Barnes' family with his arrangements.

To offer online condolences please visit www.tlcfuneralhome.com