Barney Nordstrom, 100, died on January 30, 2021 in his own bed at home.  His two daughters and daughter-in-law were with him.  Barney was born on April 2, 1920 to Otto and Emily (Wiswell) Nordstrom.  With his brother Cole, they homesteaded about 10 miles east of Fairburn and later moved to the residence three miles east of Fairburn, where Barney resided until his death.

Barney was a great story teller and always loved a good story and laughed aloud, often at his own expense.  He told us many stories about some of the pranks his and his pals played on each other in High School.

He joined the U.S. Navy during WWII and served in the South Pacific.  He always said that even though the Army drafted him, he decided he liked the Navy uniforms better and joined up one day to the year after Pearl Harbor.  Basic training was in Idaho and that was the year Bing Crosby sang “White Christmas” and he said they were marching around in snow up to their a— and the camp only played “White Christmas.”  He always hated that song.

Barney never talked much about the War, just about guys whom he served with that became his friends.  He had some shark’s teeth and a piece of metal from a Japanese aircraft.  Those were always great treasures to his kids. 

While Barney was on leave in San Francisco, he met Opal Elker and they married after the War.  The couple settled in Seattle, near Barney’s Mom, for a couple of years until he thought he was going to rust, therefore they moved Buffalo Gap, SD (No danger of rusting there).  He worked for Nolan’s Feed and Seed until the family of four moved to the family home east of Fairburn.  Dairy cows came next, Barney and Opal milked by hand until electricity showed up.  Two more kids also showed up.  Their kids had a great childhood on French Creek, with many places to build forts and explore.

Barney read a lot to his kids; the story of the Cyclops in the Odyssey was his favorite.  This was where the love of reading started for all four of his children.  They loved to explore the Black Hills, Angostura, the Badlands, Cheyenne River, and the agate beds.  Opal would pack a picnic lunch and off they went.  Barney loved to hunt, agate hunt, and fish.  He was a good Dad, a good friend and a good neighbor. 

Barney was preceded in death by his wife, Opal and his son, Max.

He is survived by his son, Woody; daughters, Sally and Melissa; daughter-in-law, Barb; 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.