Ralph Emmett Barnett

Ralph Emmett Barnett, age 62 of Underwood, Iowa passed away October 7, 2015 at his home. He was born April 18, 1953 in Council Bluffs, Iowa to the late William O. and Alma E. (Kortmeyer) Barnett. Ralph was united into marriage on March 24th,1973 to his high school sweetheart, Connie. Ralph is survived by his wife, Connie (Jensen); son, Kelli Barnett (Paula) of Sac City, Iowa; daughter, Shawna Hedegaard (Michael) of Missouri Valley, Iowa; sisters, Mary Clausen of Underwood, Iowa. and Nancy Flattre of San Diego, California; 5 grandchildren, Troy Gordon, Adam and Megan Barnett, and Martin and Emmett Hedegaard; mother-in-law, Lorene Jensen of Neola, Iowa; five nieces and a host of other family and friends. Ralph was preceded into death by his parents, two brother-in-laws, Dennis Flattre and Glen Clausen; and father-in-law, Charles Jensen. Ralph grew up on various farmsteads in Southwest Iowa. Farm life was in his blood as he spent numerous hours in the fields preparing for spring and taking out the harvest with his Father (Bill) and Uncle Bruce. Ralph received his Associate Degree in Ag Business/Farm Management from IWCC in 1972 and his Bachelors of Science Degree in Professional Studies from Bellevue College in 1991. He worked at Western Electric (AT&T), in Underwood, for numerous years until its closure. After attending classes at UTI in Omaha his career path changed. He worked for many HVAC companies/wholesalers in the Metro area before starting his own company; Aspen Heating and A/C. He worked for RailCrew Xpress in Council Bluffs until he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in mid-April. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He also enjoyed catching up with many friends. His favorite place to visit was Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains. He recently returned from vacation there while fighting his last days of cancer. He got to see the mountains and Bear Lake one last time before meeting the Lord. A prayer service will be Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home with visitation following until 8:00 p.m. Funeral service will be Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home. Interment will be in the Hazel Dell Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Pauls Lutheran Church Boomer Twp. or Wings of Hope.