BOUNTIFUL—A Bountiful man who was killed in an automobile accident July 27 is being remembered as a kind hearted man whose greatest joy was his family. 

Dave Barnett was driving west on the freeway near Green River when his Toyota 4Runner went off the road and rolled several times, according to UHP. Three of his daughters were also in the car. Barnett died at the scene and his daughters were taken to area hospitals. They have since been released.

Barnett leaves behind his wife Becky (Hibbert) and five children. The couple had celebrated their 25th anniversary on July 26. 

“He was always a gentle giant,” said Stephanie Hubbel, a former neighbor. “He had a kind personality and loved his girls – he was a papa bear.”

If someone passed away he would have wanted it to be him, not one of his daughters, she said. “If one of them had passed away it would have crushed him.”

His wife Becky is also committed to her family, said Hubbel. “She is a fiercely devoted mother and gives 100% in all her efforts at home, church, and society. She has recently dealt with the unexpected loss of her brother and now is facing this devastating tragedy. Our neighborhood mourns with her. She and her girls are in our thoughts and prayers.”

Dave loved the outdoors and was an Eagle Scout. “He had a wide range of interests,” said  neighbor Marc Edminster. “He was a great guy to be around. Dave was always willing to help out. He was a wonderful friend.”

“I’ve known him for 15 years,” said family friend Merrill Menlove. “He lived a block away. I was building an experimental aircraft in my garage and he’d come over for three or four hours and work on it with me. We had a grand time putting that airplane together.”

He was a lot of fun, said Menlove. “He was a super individual, helpful and caring. We had a wonderful time together. We just really enjoyed each other’s company and the comradery as we worked on the airplane.”

Menlove said because the airplane’s wings couldn’t fit in the garage they had to move it outside to attach them. “We cranked it up and it started throwing oil all over. We’d forgotten to tighten the caps on the oil tank. It was a terrible mess. We laughed a lot and got the wings on but we made sure the oil cap was on. Then we took it out to the airport for a flight.”

Dave bought a convertible, said Menlove. “I liked it so I bought one too. We’d go someplace and I’d trail behind him in my convertible.”

He couldn’t be any better, Menlove said. “He was always helpful. He’d come right over to fix anything or show us what to do.”

His passing has really been a tough one, said Menlove. “He’s in a good place I guess.”

A family member has set up a GoFundMe for Barnett’s wife and children to help with funeral expenses and medical bills at https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-other-expenses-for-barnett-family. λ