Orville Kenneth "Ken" Barnes Obituary (1941

ROCKLAND -- Captain Orville Kenneth Barnes (Ken) passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, Nov. 2. A father, friend, mentor, husband, grandfather, captain, compass, anchor and legend, he was much to many; he was all to us. Ken was born on March 8, 1941, spending his early years dragging an upright bass around Pittsburgh, Pa., moving to Raleigh, N.C. as a teenager. Ken joined the Air Force in 1958, where he honed his stoicism amongst the 57th Fighter/Interceptor Squadron at Keflavik NAS. Ken attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the G.I Bill, eventually earning his MFA at UNCG where he met the love of his life, constant companion, coconspirator, lifelong business partner and best friend, Ellen Spielman. They married in 1970. Ken taught set design at Washington & Lee University and headed the technical department at Florida State before moving back to North Carolina to focus on blacksmithing. In 1976, Ken and Ellen vacationed on the schooner Lewis R. French and were smitten with windjamming. A few years later, they were off to Camden, where they purchased and restored the schooner Stephen Taber. The couple focused their talent and energy on offering the same sort of life-changing adventure they had experienced on the French. Ken and Ellen operated the Taber from 1979-2003, completing a major rebuild that assuredly saved the vessel and building her into a well-known icon of maritime tradition and bonhomie. During this time, Ken and Ellen created the Captain Lindsey House Inn, The Waterworks restaurant, renovated the sardine carrier Pauline, raised their four children, invented a travel backpack for bagpipers and participated in the ever-evolving civic ecosystem of Camden and Rockland. In his retirement, Ken remained relentlessly creative: He officiated over 500 weddings, gardened with fierce abandon, worked with local theatre companies and was the kind of magic grampa that only appears in fairy tales. Of all his accomplishments, he was most proud of his family. Ken is survived by his wife, Ellen Barnes; their four children, Robin, Lauren (Michael) Clancy, Susan and Noah (Jane) Barnes; and grandchildren, Ian (Cecilia) Clancy, Hallie Clancy (Gabriel Peterson), Forest Clancy, Linde LaChance, Jenny LaChance, Isabella Barnes and Oscar Barnes; and brother, Bill (Julie) Barnes. Throughout his life, Ken remained an artist, painting and sketching daily. He was a cartoonist, master blacksmith, draughtsman and writer; there was no apparent limit to the media he could master, with the possible exception of operating an iPhone. Ken was also a musician, a singer and a storyteller, playing the guitar, viola, concertina, double bass, bagpipes and piano. He delighted in entertaining, and his resonant bass voice could be heard clearly across the harbor. Ken's energy, enthusiasm and engagement in craft is legend and his creative exuberance could direct the focus of everyone at hand. His passions inspired literal thousands; he propelled his students, guests, colleagues and family in pursuit of craft and creation. Without benefit of an easy or nurturing childhood, Ken Barnes became a devoted husband, brother, father of four loving children, and a widely loved and respected creator; in short, quite a bit. This is his lasting legacy: the blueprint of a true renaissance man, not bourn by unique brilliance, but more humbly from quiet diligence and a desire to make the world a more beautiful place. We all could have used just one more story. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, from 1-4 p.m., at the Sail, Power and Steam Museum in Rockland, where Ken held a seat on the board. Donations may be sent to the Museum.2b:[