James Barrett Obituary (1933 – 2021) – Resident of Livermore, CA
James lyall barrett
May 2, 1933 – September 19, 2021
Livermore resident
CDR James Lyall Barrett was born on May 2, 1933 in San Pedro, California. After graduating in 1952 from Narbonne High School in Lomita, Calif., He was called up to active duty as a naval reservist. He was deployed that summer to Korea on the USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) as a radar sailor. After completing his compulsory service in 1954, he chose to stay in the Navy and pursue a career, as his father had done during WWI and WWII.
In 1957 he met and married Edna (Eddy) Leone Christensen of Long Beach and they married for almost 40 years until her death in 1997.
Lyall’s naval career saw him posted to numerous ships and stations during his 32 years of service. After Korea, he served on USS Weeden (DE-797), USS Henry W. Tucker (DDR-875), USS Berkeley (DDG-15), USS Horne (DLG-30) and the USS Saint Paul (CA-73). During his first mission ashore in 1958, he was an electronics instructor at the Radarman School in Treasure Island, San Francisco. It was during this tour that he was promoted to Chief Radarman. His next tour was with the Commanding Officer, Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet, Destroyer Development Group where he was promoted to Senior Chief Radarman and shortly thereafter was appointed an Officer with the rank of Ensign. As an officer, he was deployed three times to Vietnam from 1965 to 1970. Subsequent shore assignments include the officer in charge of naval telecommunications centers at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii; Naval Station Long Beach, California and Naval Air Station, Moffett Field, California. He retired in 1982 with 32 years of service in the Navy.
In 1983 he went to work at GTE Sprint Communications as a project manager in the switching networks division until 1989. In 1990 he became director of PRN Medical Supply in Santa Clara, California, then merged with Circadian, Inc. and continued in this field until he retired in 1995. In other companies he was an avid Amateur Radio (WA6USN), Certified Financial Planner and licensed professional pilot.
In July 2000, he married longtime high school friend Elaine Strickland Baxley and they settled in Pleasanton, California. Lyall is survived by the children of his first marriage, Patty Genoa, Jim Barrett and Kathy Skelton; grandchildren Amber Genoa, Jazmyne Barrett, Gabi Skelton, James Skelton and Presley Barrett.
Visitations will be on Friday October 1 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Graham-Hitch Mortuary in Pleasanton, California. A funeral service will be held at John Knox Presbyterian Church, Dublin on Saturday October 2 at 9 a.m., followed by interment at Los Gatos Memorial Park with full military honors.
May 2, 1933 – September 19, 2021
Livermore resident
CDR James Lyall Barrett was born on May 2, 1933 in San Pedro, California. After graduating in 1952 from Narbonne High School in Lomita, Calif., He was called up to active duty as a naval reservist. He was deployed that summer to Korea on the USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) as a radar sailor. After completing his compulsory service in 1954, he chose to stay in the Navy and pursue a career, as his father had done during WWI and WWII.
In 1957 he met and married Edna (Eddy) Leone Christensen of Long Beach and they married for almost 40 years until her death in 1997.
Lyall’s naval career saw him posted to numerous ships and stations during his 32 years of service. After Korea, he served on USS Weeden (DE-797), USS Henry W. Tucker (DDR-875), USS Berkeley (DDG-15), USS Horne (DLG-30) and the USS Saint Paul (CA-73). During his first mission ashore in 1958, he was an electronics instructor at the Radarman School in Treasure Island, San Francisco. It was during this tour that he was promoted to Chief Radarman. His next tour was with the Commanding Officer, Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet, Destroyer Development Group where he was promoted to Senior Chief Radarman and shortly thereafter was appointed an Officer with the rank of Ensign. As an officer, he was deployed three times to Vietnam from 1965 to 1970. Subsequent shore assignments include the officer in charge of naval telecommunications centers at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii; Naval Station Long Beach, California and Naval Air Station, Moffett Field, California. He retired in 1982 with 32 years of service in the Navy.
In 1983 he went to work at GTE Sprint Communications as a project manager in the switching networks division until 1989. In 1990 he became director of PRN Medical Supply in Santa Clara, California, then merged with Circadian, Inc. and continued in this field until he retired in 1995. In other companies he was an avid Amateur Radio (WA6USN), Certified Financial Planner and licensed professional pilot.
In July 2000, he married longtime high school friend Elaine Strickland Baxley and they settled in Pleasanton, California. Lyall is survived by the children of his first marriage, Patty Genoa, Jim Barrett and Kathy Skelton; grandchildren Amber Genoa, Jazmyne Barrett, Gabi Skelton, James Skelton and Presley Barrett.
Visitations will be on Friday October 1 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Graham-Hitch Mortuary in Pleasanton, California. A funeral service will be held at John Knox Presbyterian Church, Dublin on Saturday October 2 at 9 a.m., followed by interment at Los Gatos Memorial Park with full military honors.
See the James Lyall Barrett online memorial
Posted by East Bay Times on September 26, 2021.
