I know there have been many obituaries written about Don Knotts. But we must remember that not only did Don Knotts die, but Barney Fife as well. Thus I have written an obituary for Barney. But we can all be thankful that Barney will continue to live on thanks to TV Land and all those wonderful videos we are getting.
Bernard P. Fife 1925-2006 Bernard P. Fife passed away on February 26, 2006. Mr. Fife was born in Mayberry, North Carolina. As a young boy Barney, as his friends called him, had a very wonderful childhood. Although at times he was sickly, he did manage to run and play throughout Crouch's Woods along with all his friends. He enjoyed fishing at Meyer's Lake. Barney was especially fond of raspberry snow cones. He was a faithful church member, but at times he was known to have fallen asleep during Sunday school. Barney graduated from Mayberry Union High where he was chairman of the tinfoil drive, volleyball court maintenance man and was also active in the Spanish Club. He also wrote a sports column for his high school newspaper. However it only appeared once. Barney's writing skills were just too far ahead of the times. Barney will be most remembered as the Deputy Sheriff of Mayberry, the town he loved so much. Barney was a kind man and one who never would shoot off his mouth. However, on a number of occasions he almost did shoot off his foot. During his time as deputy sheriff Barney captured a number of desperate and dangerous criminals. He was instrumental in leading a rescue operation when Sheriff Andy Taylor and Miss Helen Crump were trapped in a cave at a town picnic. In recognition upon the completion of his fifth year as deputy sheriff, Barney was presented with a stainless steel wristwatch with 5 engraved on the back. Barney left Mayberry in 1965 and took a job in the fingerprint division of the Raleigh police department. He later became a detective within the Raleigh police department. The highlight of Barney's police work was when he was instrumental in locating a place in Mayberry where an important summit meeting between the U.S government and the government of Russia would be held. Because of his efforts, a very critical agreement was made between the two countries. After being away from Mayberry for many years, Barney returned to his hometown where he married his long time sweetheart Thelma Lou. Folks around Mayberry still say the only reason she married Barney was so she could finally have a last name. But his writer knows that Thelma Lou was always crazy about Barney. Barney leaves behind countless friends and neighbors who were proud to call him their friend. He will be sadly missed and we are sure that right now he is smiling down at us from that Big Courthouse in the Sky. Private funeral services will be held by his family. Kenneth G. Anderson 2906 May Street Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 715-839-8470 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://mail.wbmutbb.com/mailman/listinfo/wbmutbb_wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
