Larry Barnett

Larry Dean Barnett, 77, of Hobbs NM passed away peacefully at home on December 10, 2020.  Larry was born on January 29, 1943 in Tucumcari, New Mexico to Fred and Zula Barnett.  He attended school at San Jon, New Mexico where he participated in all sports and helped his team win the state basketball champion in 1961 before there were district ratings for the schools.  He attended South Plains Junior College in Levelland, Texas on a basketball scholarship and enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1964.  After basic training he transferred to WTSU in Canyon, Texas where he met his wife, Vicki Hill.  They married on September 1, 1968 in Littlefield, Texas and enjoyed 52 years together.  They graduated from WTSU together in the Spring of 1969.

Larry worked as a feed salesman, for years in Plainview, TX until he moved to San Jon, NM to help his father farm while he was ill.  After his father recovered,  he partnered with a college friend to open a K-Bob Steakhouse, in Hobbs and Andrews, TX in 1976-1977. Always the entrepreneur, he would eventually sell the restaurant and purchase Banta Oilfield Service, where he became experienced in many facets of the oilfield.  His oilfield experience led to his final venture of buying gas leases to operate, which he continued to do until he became ill.

Larry loved people young and old from a very young age.  He had a gift of being able to strike up a conversation with anyone. He began playing golf while living in Plainview, TX and became a very competitive and skilled golfer, playing as often as he could the rest of his life.  Larry also had a passion for fishing and boating.  As a member of the Hobbs Bass Club he fished various lakes, but his favorite was Lake Amistad in Del Rio, TX.  He bought a second home there and continued to enjoy the lake up until his final weeks of life. He loved teaching the young and old how to improve upon their golf game or how to catch a fish.

Larry is preceded in death by his parents Fred and Zula Barnett.  He is survived by his wife, Vicki, of Hobbs, and three daughters: Stacie Barnett and husband Jeff Layton of Broken Arrow, OK and their four children: daughters Ashton Barnett, Maddie Layton, Makenna Layton and son Brennan Layton; daughter Keely Barnett and son Liam Barnett-Guiterrez of Santa Fe, NM; daughter Mindy Barnett and sons Devin Shoobridge and Klayton Barnett-Kirksey of Lubbock, TX.  He is also survived by his sister Sherry and husband Jack Tillman of Cedar Crest, NM and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Mark and Debbie Smyth of Littleton, CO. He also has numerous nieces & nephews.

The family would like to extend our sincere gratitude for the love and care Larry received at Nor Lea Cancer Center from the sweetest nurses and to his many friends who called and visited him during his illness. The family asks that donations be made to a charity of your choice or to Taylor Memorial Baptist church where Larry and his family worshipped for many years.