Rodney Barnhardt, Jr

Bert Rodney Barnhardt, Jr., 67, of Kannapolis, died Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at Tucker Hospice House in Kannapolis.

Rodney was born September 9, 1947 in Cabarrus County, a son of the late Bert Rodney Barnhardt, Sr. and the late Virginia Christine Thomas Barnhardt.

The family will receive friends from 11am until 1pm on Friday, May 1, 2015 at Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord. The funeral service will follow in the Hartsell Funeral Home Chapel at 1pm, officiated by Rev. Robert Earnhardt. The burial will be at Carolina Memorial Park in Kannapolis. At other times the family will be at the home of his sister Anne Bybee, 1018 Van Gogh Dr., Concord.

Rodney was formerly employed as a truck driving instructor and in his retirement, drove a taxi for Carolina Cab to continue his love of interacting with people.

Everyone that knew Rodney expected to be greeted with a smile and a joke. He loved to play his guitars and sing, especially gospel music. He dearly loved his children and grandchildren. He instilled his love for music in many of his grandchildren, taking them for music lessons and teaching some of them to play the guitar.

The family would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Tucker Hospice House for the loving care and support they provided not only to Rodney, but to our family as well.

He is survived by his children, Rodney Barnhardt of Greensboro, Daniel Barnhardt (Tammy) of Concord, Scott Barnhardt of Concord, Christina Peters (Jay) of Cedar Grove, David Dequardo of Louisville, KY, Christopher Barnhardt of Kannapolis, and Amanda Gardner (Langston) of Concord; 17 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a brother, Rick Barnhardt of Rockwell; sisters Janice Davidson of Cayce, SC and Anne Bybee (Wayne Hipps) of Concord. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles as well as two other children he considered his own, Donna Ramsey and Michael Daugherty.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County, 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord is serving the Barnhardt family.