Samuel Elder Barnes died peacefully on June 11 at Kimball Farms in Lenox. He was 91 and had a long, beautiful life.

He was born in Taunton on Nov. 26, 1929 to Clarence Alfred Barnes (the former Attorney General of Massachusetts) and Doreen Kane Barnes. His parents instilled a love of the Vineyard in him. The family home on Waban Park was his favorite place and he spent almost every summer of his life there. The house came alive for Sam, with his children and grandchildren running about, cookouts and cocktail parties. He was an avid golfer, practicing in his front yard because Waban Park is the perfect length for a fairway drive.

Sam met his wife, Joy Woods, on the Vineyard. They married in 1960 in New York city. They had three children, Jennifer, Samuel A. and Beth.

He played hockey and football at Phillips Andover Academy and graduated in 1947 and Yale University in 1952. He was a proud Yale University graduate who sang the school fight song during family holidays and belonged to the Society of Book and Snake.

In 1953, he signed up for Combat Information Center training school in the Navy. He graduated as a lieutenant and was assigned to the USS Cogswell Destroyer. He retired from active service in 1956 and spent the following years serving in the Naval Reserve until retiring at the rank of commander.

Sam began his career with General Electric in 1961 as an information planner in New York, Florida and Massaschusetts. In 1966, he received his master’s degree from Stetson University.

He believed deeply in being part of a community and dedicated his life to volunteering at organizations including the Berkshire County Historical Society, Habitat for Humanity, St. Joe’s Kitchen and the Berkshire Council of the Navy League. He was president of Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs from 1973 to 1975. In later years, he greeted parishioners, passed out the Sunday bulletin and always sat up front.

Sam loved the arts. He was a skilled pen and ink artist and was commissioned throughout New England. His drawings were last shown during the Barnes Collection exhibit at Featherstone Center for the Arts. He sang in the church choir, with the Berkshire Lyric Theater and the Berkshire Barber Shop Quartet.

Family and its history were an omnipresent force in Sam’s life. He was a storyteller. He held what his family called Grampy Camp. When his grandkids were teenagers and stayed with him at the Waban Park house, they sat on the porch with him and asked endless questions about his life. He and Joy kept up the family legacy at the East Chop Beach Club, where they spent summer nights enjoying dinner parties with their friends.

On June 16, he was interred with full military honors next to his beloved wife Joy. His family and friends gathered to bid him a safe journey. The Rev. Cathlin Baker presided and Steve Tully played saxophone.

He is survived by his children, Jennifer Joy Barnes, Beth Vought and her husband Zeke, and Samuel A. Barnes; sisters Rosalee McCullough and her husband David, and Margot Goodwin and her husband Neil; eight grandchildren, 18 nieces and nephews; many grand nieces and nephews; his kind caregivers Nicole Kiger and Gurnam Russell; and his best friend Joy Dronge and her son, Michael Graubard.

He was predeceased by his wife, Joy Woods Barnes; his parents Clarence Alfred and Doreen Barnes; his brothers, Thomas K. (Tokey) Barnes, Peter Barnes, Clarence Alfred Barnes Jr., David H. Barnes, John R. Barnes; his sister, Jane Barnes; and his parents in law, Roland Joy and Elizabeth Woods.

His family is grateful for Sam’s team of medical caregivers at Kimball Farms who were kind, caring and kept him in high spirits.