Moses Dell Barney 83, of Rexburg, passed away Nov. 29, 2015 on a beautiful Sunday morning with a colorful rainbow that seemed to arch perfectly over the family farm. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family as sacred prelude music seeped through his doorway as church services began. The voices from his new found friends as they sang the hymns served to calm a families grieving heart. While living at the Homestead in Rexburg both Dell and his family were greatly blessed and many valuable lessons were learned.


He was born Sept. 10, 1932 in Rexburg, Idaho. He was the fifth child of eleven born to Moses Allen and Esther May Barney. He spent his first few years of childhood in Rexburg, Idaho, after which the family moved to Hibbard. This is where he spent his remaining childhood years. He attended school in Rexburg where lunch and recess were his favorite subjects in school. In 1950 he graduated from Madison High School where his favorite subjects had changed from lunch and recess to girls and sports. His favorite sport in high school was track in which he set many records.


On Aug. 28, 1951 he married his high school sweetheart Sheila Mae Erickson in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. They celebrated 63 wonderful years together in this life and are now once again together enjoying eternity. Together they were blessed with six children; three boys and three girls, Dell Ray, Douglas, Doyle, LaMae, Gaylene, and Wendy. They were later blessed to have 18 grandchildren and 43 great-grandchildren with more on the way. Family was always very important to him. He would always say that family was what mattered most and that you should never take them for granted. He loved being a grandpa and watching his posterity as it grew larger and larger with the birth of each new great-grandchild.


He had many jobs throughout the course of his life. His first full time job was at the age of 12 and it paid 17 cents an hour digging ditches and canals for Madison and Fremont County with nothing but determination and a shovel. He worked as a mechanic, farm laborer, the head cheese maker for the Challenge Creamery, brick mason, and carpenter. He owned and operated a dairy for 49 years milking as many as 385 cows twice a day every day with help from his good wife and family.


He was also involved in his community. He served many years on the Madison County Fair Board, Served 9 years as a Madison County Commissioner, has served as a board member for a canal company, and was co-founder of the Intermountain Draft Horse and Mule Association in which he served many years as President.


He is a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He tried to give service where ever he was needed. Whether it was a den leader, home teacher, counselor, or bishop he enjoyed getting to know others and helping those that needed help. He always opened his home to those that needed a place to stay, or listened to those who needed a friend or a shoulder to lean on for awhile.


Some of his hobbies were; welding, woodworking, building and restoring horse hitch wagons and machinery. He had a great love for draft horses. He developed his love for draft horses at the early age of 10 from one of his greatest hero's, his grandfather Moses Trader Barney who was a great teamster. His love for horses never faded. In 1980 he purchased his first team of draft horses which soon became a family event for years to come. He participated in local and state fairs where he showed and drove his draft horses winning many ribbons and trophies. He was called on many times to help judge the draft horse events locally and at county fairs.


He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He is survived by 5 of his six children, Dell Ray Barney, Douglas (Lorna) Barney, Doyle (Terrie) Barney, LaMae (Dirk) Siepert, and Gaylene (Fay) Harris. He is also survived by 15 of his 18 grandchildren, 42 of 43 great-grandchildren, two brothers Dean and Wayne Barney and four sisters, Letha Dawson, Vera Yatsak, Ruth Orr, and June Gould.


He is preceded in death by his parents Allen and May Barney, Four brothers, Charlie, Carl, Reed, and Don, three grandchildren JaNece, Kimberlie, and Klayton, one great-grandchild Tasey, His beautiful daughter Wendy, and the love of his life his wife Sheila.


Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday Dec. 4, 2015 at the Mill Hollow LDS Chapel located at 315 Gary Drive Rexburg, Idaho. The family will receive friends Thursday Dec. 3, 2015 from 5 to 7:00 p.m. at Flamm Funeral Home and Friday from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the services at the church. Interment will be in the Sugar City Cemetery.