Alga “Barney” Adams Jr., age 93, of Sidney, passed away Thursday March 8, 2018 at Dayton VA Hospice. He was born November 14, 1924 in Jay County, Indiana, to Alga C. Adams and Esther (Gibson) Adams who preceded him in death. Barney married Reba Lois (Lehman) Adams on January 16, 1943 and they were married for 67 years until her death in 2010.
He also survived Evelyn Allen, a special lady friend, until her death in 2017. He was preceded in death by brothers Orville Adams, Jess Adams, John Adams, daughter Joyce Owens and infant son Anthony Adams. Barney is survived by Judith (Dennis) Dillhoff of Kettering, Ohio, Timothy Adams of Orlando, Florida, 4 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren.
Barney served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1942-1946. He was just a young 18-year-old who left Sidney High School and secretly married his sweetheart, Reba, when he enlisted in the Army. He completed basic training in Aberdeen, Maryland and learned to drive every type of ground vehicle the Army had except for a tank. On Christmas Day 1943, Barney boarded a ship destined for Europe. The first camp he called home was G24 in Honeybourne, England for the latter part of 1944 before he was shipped to Lucky Strike in France, then to Liege, Belgium. Once in Germany, he was assigned to the 1st Allied Airborne division before being moved to a Luftwaffe base in Halle, Germany. As a young Army private in Germany, he drove a tour bus for over 4,000 leaders and their entourages giving them the official tour of Berlin. On Christmas Day 1945, he boarded a ship back to the U.S. and was discharged from the military. He was a member of the Sidney Legion Post 217, VFW Post 4239, the Sidney Elks, Moose, and Eagles Lodges. He retired from Monarch Machine Tool Company after 40 years and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Sidney for over 60 years. He loved camping, his dogs, and spending time with his family and friends.
Friends and family may call Thursday March 15, 2018 from 4 P.M. – 7 P.M as well as 1 hour before the service. Services will be held Friday March 16, 2018 at 10 A.M. at Adams Funeral Home in Sidney with full military honors to follow at Graceland Cemetery. Pastor John Young will be officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Baptist Church (309 E North St, Sidney, OH 45365) and Wilson Health Hospice (1081 FairingtonDr, Sidney, OH 45365) in Barney’s memory. Condolences may be expressed at www.theadamsfuneralhome.com.
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