Norman P. Barnes

(DURHAM) – Norman P. Barnes, age 82, died in Durham on September 7, 2024. He was born on April 27, 1942 to the late Edmund Joseph and Wanda (Czekalski) Barnes and grew up in Brunswick Ohio.

Norman attended Brunswick High School, then earned a bachelors, masters, and PhD from The Ohio State University. He chose to focus his studies on lasers and fiber optics, new and exciting fields in the 1960s. During his illustrious career, Norman worked at Texas Instruments, Martin Marietta, Los Alamos National Labs, and NASA Langley. This work took him all over the world, where he presented at conferences in several different countries including the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Japan, China, and Russia. Norm had a passion for explaining science and took great pleasure in presenting his work to an international audience. Norman retired from NASA in 2012 and relocated from Virginia to Durham, NC. 

Norman enjoyed woodworking and built many of the pieces of furniture in the family home. He also enjoyed skiing, billiards, and watching Ohio State and Cleveland Browns football. Even after retirement, Norm spent many hours solving equations and writing about his research.

Norman is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Barbara; children Adam (Mandy Wilson), Matthew (Ann), and Cherie; grandchildren Gwen, Alexa, Riley, and Piper; sisters Lynda Carrino and Cynthia Matzner; and “adopted” family Shana Burns and Finn and Violet Mackelfresh. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on September 28, 2024 at 10:00 AM at St. Matthew's Church in Durham, NC. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Duke Home Care and Hospice, www.gifts.duke.edu or to The Parkinson's Foundation, https://secure3.convio.net/prkorg/site/Donation2?1340.donation=form1&df_id=1340&mfc_pref=T