In loving memory of
Russell Barkett

• February 01, 1940
• -
• March 28, 2024

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Russell Barkett died on Thursday, March 28 at his home in Maitland Fla. He was 84 years old. 

Russell was born in 1940 in Miami, Florida, where his parents, both immigrants from northern Syria, owned a small, neighborhood grocery store. Though he graduated from the University of West Florida in 1971 with a degree in accounting, he was an avid, lifelong Florida Gators fan. Go Gators! He received his CPA certification in 1976.

He started his accounting career with Howard Johnson’s in Miami, and in 1976 joined DavGar Restaurants, Inc.. which owns and runs numerous restaurants in Central Florida. He worked there until his retirement in 2019. He also served on the Board of Directors for Commerce Bank and Trust for more than 30 years. 

An enthusiastic runner, Russell ran 20 marathons both nationally and internationally,  including the January, 2000 New Zealand Marathon, which saw the first light of the new millennium. He loved to read, especially thrillers and westerns, and to relax, refresh, and renew his spirit at his family’s home in Gerton, in the mountains of western North Carolina. His family and friends will miss his booming laugh, his kindness, his devotion to his family, and his great generosity and decency. As Russell liked to say to his grandchildren: we love him to the moon and back, and more than all the grains of sands on the beach and stars in the sky. 

He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Toni Field Barkett, whom he met on a blind date in 1966 and married in 1967; by his son Brent Barkett and wife Hannah Nordhaus of Boulder, Colo.; by his son Christopher Barkett and wife Laura of St. Augustine; by his two beloved grandchildren, Delia and Milo Barkett; and by his four surviving brothers, Skip, Larry, Ted, and Bruce Barkett, and their families. He was preceded in death by his father, Abraham Barkett; his mother, Della Barkett; and his eldest brother, George Barkett.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Track Shack Youth Foundation (1104 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803) or the Gerton Volunteer Fire Department (4975 Gerton Highway, Gerton, NC 28735).