A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 1 p.m. Friday at St. John Roman Catholic Church, 43 Monroe St. in Westminster, for Jerry F. Barnes, the Carroll County state's attorney and a Vietnam veteran. He ended his life Saturday at his Westminster home. He was 66.
Born and raised in Westminster, Jerry Francis Barnes was the son of Charles A. "Austin" Barnes, an auto body repairman, and Mary R. Byers Barnes, a homemaker.
After graduating from Westminster High School in 1966, he worked for two years at Bendix Field Engineering before being drafted into the Army in 1968.
A Green Beret, he served in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group, earning two Bronze Stars and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. He was discharged in 1971.
He earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Baltimore and his law degree in 1976 from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
He began his legal career in 1977, the year he passed the bar exam, as assistant state's attorney for Carroll County and later Frederick County.
From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Barnes had served as chief narcotics prosecutor for Frederick County. Mr. Barnes became state's attorney for Carroll County in 1995.
Mr. Barnes lost his latest re-election bid in June in the Republican primary to challenger Brian DeLeonardo.
"He was a quiet, thoughtful and introspective kind of guy," said Edward M. Ulsch, a Westminster attorney and a longtime friend. "He was an only child, a war hero and a wonderful state's attorney."
Mr. Barnes is survived by his wife of several years, the former Florence J. Green; and a stepdaughter, Jenna B. Wilmot of Cockeysville. An earlier marriage to Carmen Amedori, a former state delegate, ended in divorce.