BOUNTIFUL, Utah (ABC4) – On Sunday, a Bountiful family was remembering Dave Barnett, a father of five, who was killed in a car crash last week.
“Dave was a father — a fantastic father — and he was someone who loved to laugh and he laughed all the time,” said James Boley, Becky’s brother.
Boley says that Dave was coming back from a trip to Moab with three of his daughters, all between the ages of 10 to 16.
According to Utah Highway Patrol (UHP), Dave was traveling westbound on I-70 near milepost 164.
“My sister-in-law called me and said, ‘Hey, Dave’s been in an accident and it sounds pretty bad,” said Aldaberto Agamez-Lamela, Dave’s brother-in-law.
UHP says on July 27, a Toyota 4Runner left the roadway to the center median and rolled several times.
“When he crashed his car, his last words to the paramedics were, ‘Are my girls okay?’ and they said ‘Yes’ and then he smiled and died. That’s the kind of man Dave was,” said Aldaberto.
This happened just days after Dave and his wife Becky celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Now, Becky has to navigate medical bills and learn to be a single parent.
“I think that’s when the pain is really gonna hit, when there’s not someone to check the noise at night or to fix the leaky faucet or to let her know that the roof is okay,” said James. “And that’s when it’s really gonna hit hard.”
His family shared that Dave was a jack-of-all-trades who would play music with his family and help others with whatever they needed — whether it be fixing a car or a pipe. They said he was caring and always there for his family.
“Dave and Becky, if you met them, your first perception of them was a great first perception and it was an honest first perception,” said James. “Whatever you assumed of them, which was good things, was exactly who they are. They didn’t hide things. If they said something, you could take them for their word. They were the best of us. Dave was the best of us.”
The family is also still dealing with another loss, as Becky and James’ brother passed away in September.
“In nine months, we now have five nieces and two nephews without a father,” said James.
Dave’s family says he will be remembered for his kind heart, being a wonderful family man and always looking out for others.
“We’re going to miss Dave terribly, we just are,” said Aldaberto said. “He was my close friend and I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Dave’s daughters have since returned home from the hospital and are recovering well.
A GoFundMe has been started to help the family with funeral and other expenses.
