James "Jamie" Barnhorst

Barnhorst, James “Jamie” Kenneth

James “Jamie” Kenneth Barnhorst, born February 23, 1969, passed into the afterlife on October 8, 2016, after a 3 1/2-year battle with cancer. Jamie, known as “Barney” by many and “D” by his children, will never leave our hearts. He was his children’s best friend, his wife’s longtime companion, a loving brother, sincere son and an adventurous friend.

On a short list, he will be remembered for wrestling a black bear, cruising in his beloved ‘69 GTO, playing golf at Pebble Beach, coaching dozens of baseball players through countless spring seasons, earning a trophy for the most handballs in an adult soccer league, eating 18 ears of corn while trying to beat his football coach’s record of 24 and being mistakenly handcuffed for armed robbery.

His surviving children, A.J. and Zach (A and Z, as he called them), will always remember him saying, “Have fun, pal.” No matter what they did, he always wanted them to enjoy themselves. Zach will remember the long Star Wars marathons and building Legos with his dad. AJ will hold memories of battling his dad in driveway basketball, trying to trick him into eating pickles and Jamie yelling, “Oh, poop. Oh, poop,” as he rode the Diamond Back with him at Kings Island.

His wife of 20 years, Chelle Miller Barnhorst, will treasure most his love for life. The two traveled to England, Italy, Russia, took a cruise and visited several spots throughout the U.S. They spontaneously took firework-hunting road trips and tried to find the end of a rainbow once. Together, they enjoyed simple things. They laughed around campfires, took long walks and talked well into so many nights. He and Chelle also loved to remodel. The two took on many remodeling projects and planned to refurbish houses and travel upon retirement. Jamie was a handyman, but that’s an understatement. He fixed everything: from leaky faucets to an emotional wife, broken toys to crying children, he cured overgrown trees and was a cabinet installation guru … You know how husbands and fathers do so many little things but the overall magnitude of what they do is immeasurable? That was our Jamie.

He was a semi-quiet guy who was good at bringing in one liners that broke the tension and made everyone laugh. Once, he loosened the top of the pepper shaker at dinner and it emptied into a mound in his dad’s soup. He loved puns and dumb jokes. He had a memory for TV shows and movie quotes and was able to successfully impersonate characters – especially from Star Wars, Monty Python and Disney films. As for us, we’ll forever attempt to impersonate Jamie and move each of our eyebrows in separate directions (his trademark skill).

Jamie was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Carol (Gorman) and the late Jim Barnhorst. As a teen, he hung out on the train tracks against their wishes and sometimes came home at his curfew – when the street light came on. He was part of the graduating class of 1987 at Oak Hills High School, where he was the only football player on the chess team. He seemed to have been blessed with both brains and a love for athletics. He went on to serve in the Army Reserve for eight years as a combat engineer. Initially attempting to achieve a higher education, Jamie found that playing cards was more fun than going to class. He eventually earned an associate’s degree in mechanical engineering and led a successful career.

Jamie is survived by his brothers, Jeff (Laura) Barnhorst and Jay Barnhorst; his sisters, Jean (Geoff) Current, Janet (Tom) Johansing and Jodi (Chris) Snowden and countless other relatives and close friends.

Cancer may have taken him from this life sooner than expected, but he will be in good company up in heaven. He’ll finally get the answer to the question he always vowed he’d ask God when he met him: “Ear hair? Really? Why?!” While there, he’ll also be able to hold his other two children. And everyone knows that his best friend, Roger, and his dad will be there to greet him with a tall boy and a tee time.

Visitation will be held Thursday, October 13, 2016 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Hodapp Funeral Home 6410 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd. Liberty Twp, OH 45044. Funeral Mass will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church 9080 Cincinnati Dayton Rd, West Chester, OH 45069.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Jamie Barnhorst Memorial Fund at any 5/3 Bank location or to the Lois Boeh Memorial Fund 10740 Stone Ridge Way, Harrison, OH 45030.