Terry Barnick

Terry Barnick passed away unexpectedly on October 13, 2019.  He was born on September 30, 1947, to his late parents, Brigadier General Roland John Barnick Sr. and Geneve Evelyn Barnick.  He was also preceded in death by his sister, Carolyn Barnick Taylor.  He is survived by his wife, Becky Barnick, of 50 years and his son, Terry Raoul Barnick, Jr. and his daughter-in-law Lauren Barnick and his Granddaughter-to-be, Audrey.  He wanted Audrey to call him PaPa.  He is also survived by two (2) brothers Roland John Barnick, Jr. and Vaughn Rex Barnick and sister-in-law Roxane Barnick, his niece Carolyn Barnick and nephew Rex Barnick.  Also, he is survived by his sister’s daughter, Tanya Taylor Coe and her children, Philip, Taylor and Nathan Coe.  In addition, he is survived by his niece, Cynthia Edwards, and great niece, Macie Miller.

Terry was born in Tokyo, Japan, and since he was a military brat, he traveled all over the United States and Germany and spent his schooling in 11 different schools before he graduated from high school in New Jersey.  Since his father was in the Air Force, Terry knew every plane that flew, and he assembled model airplanes and flew them.  His real hobby, other than yard work and fishing, was to build model boats from scratch.  He was working on a shrimp boat the day he died.  When he met his wife at the University of Georgia, he told her he wanted to build model boats for Walt Disney.

After earning his JD from the UGA law school, he went into the Air Force as a JAG officer.  He was stationed at Patrick Air Force Base near Cocoa Beach in Florida.  He was the lawyer/representative from the base for the last moon shot.  He advised them on what to do with the people who tried to swim the moat to the launch pad.  While he was stationed at Patrick, he bought a boat and went fishing every day in the Banana River.  

In 1976 he moved to Adel as Assistant District Attorney.  During one of those cases, he argued that the robber accompanying the gunman had a duty to abandon ship or be just as guilty as the gunman who pulled the trigger.  Because of Terry, the Abandon Ship Doctrine was created.

In recent years, Terry almost choked to death or fainted in almost every restaurant in Adel.  They were all so compassionate.  Also, the EMTs in Adel saved him in 1999, and they have been right there for him all these years.  Terry was well traveled, and he said Adel, Georgia, was the best place in the world.  Terry endured Deep Brain Stimulation which allowed him to keep working until the end.  He has lost his battle with Parkinson’s.  Thank God in Heaven, he is FREE AT LAST. 

He requested that he be cremated and that he would have no viewing or funeral.  We are honoring his wishes.  

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