Carson Barnes

Carson Barnes, Jr., 77, passed away on June 16, 2026.

He was born in Akron, OH on September 9, 1948, and was the eldest of two sons (Carson Barnes Jr, and Freddie Lenier Barnes) born to Frances Shuler and Carson Barnes Sr.

Carson was a true renaissance man.  From a young age he had an intellectual curiosity and a love of music. He was exposed to gospel, R&B, and jazz by his parents and discovered his lifelong passion for music.   He was a good student and played the flute and clarinet in the school band.  Carson graduated from Akron East High School in 1966.  Driven by a spirit of exploration and desire to pursue higher education he moved to San Francisco, CA.  He returned to Akron briefly when he married Shirley Gordon in 1969.  A day after their wedding in Akron, Shirley joined Carson in San Francisco.  The couple resided in San Francisco for 19 years where both of their daughters were born.  The family returned to Akron in 1988 so that Shirley could help care for her father when he became ill.

While in California, Carson pursued higher education earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State and a Master of City Planning from UC Berkeley.  Carson continued to study music at San Francisco state, taking private music lessons and began leading his own small band at the age of 25.  His involvement in student government presented him with his first opportunity to travel to Europe. Carson became a skilled professional jazz musician, masterfully playing both the Tenor and Soprano saxophones. Jazz was Carson’s true love, and he cherished every opportunity to share his gift, performing on stages both big and small, across the country and around the globe.  He went on to perform and record in many venues in the US, France, Holland and Belgium.

Before deciding to focus on music fulltime, Carson had a professional career as a City Planner for Caltrans in CA and the City of Kent in OH.  Carson never lost his love for city planning and worked on many projects to improve his community.   He combined his professional knowledge with grassroots activism.  Carson used his expertise in city planning to fight for the cleanup of Akron’s Summit Lake, his diligent research served as the bedrock for securing the official Ohio Historical Marker for the Akron Community Service Center and Urban League, and lent his grant writing skills to help organizations in the African American community obtain vital funding.

Carson Barnes, Jr. was a maverick and a free spirit.  He moved through the world on his own terms and those who knew him felt the joy he took in sharing his love of jazz music.

Carson is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Barnes.  His legacy of intellect and music lives on through his surviving family: his daughters, Amina Burthey of Maryland and Dakara (Murray) Hollis of Georgia; his grandsons, Grant and Bryceson Burthey of Maryland, his granddaughter, Amirah Hollis of Georgia; his brother, Freddie Barnes of Miami; and a host of relatives, friends, and fellow musicians.

Memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 12:00 noon at Sommerville Funeral Services, 1695 Diagonal Rd. Akron, Oh 44320.