Joseph Edward “Joe” Barns Jr., M.D. was born in Denton, Texas on Jan. 27, 1950, the eldest of the five children of Joseph Edward Barns, Sr. and Wylna Jean Massey. Joe attended Denton schools and graduated from Denton High School in 1968. He then attended North Texas State University (now UNT), majoring in Chemistry. It was at North Texas that he met the love of his life and future wife, Kathleen Marie Hudson, who passed away Mar. 15, 2024, two months after they celebrated 50 years of marriage.

After graduating from NTSU with a degree in Chemistry, Joe entered medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He later completed residencies in both Internal Medicine and Pathology, becoming board certified in both. Joe practiced Internal Medicine in Dallas for four years before moving on to Pathology. Joe spent 33 years as a practicing pathologist with a group practice headquartered in Denison, Texas. In  2016, Joe was diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer, but he continued to work while undergoing chemotherapy. After taking a few weeks off for his radical prostatectomy, Joe returned to work. He eventually decided to slow down, first going to half-time and then fully retiring in 2019. Joe and Kathy moved back to Joe’s hometown of Denton in 2018.

Joe was never bored during his retirement. Being close to both of his daughters, his brother, and one of his sisters was a great advantage to being back in Denton. Joe loved to read, work in the yard, and study family history. He was always proud of the fact that he was a 6th generation Denton County native with both sides of his family migrating to the county in the 1870s. Joe enjoyed the men’s groups he attended and the church home group he and Kathy attended as members of The Village Church in Denton. He also greatly enjoyed being on the Welcome Team at The Village Church for several years. For many years Joe enjoyed medical mission trips to the state of Chiapas, Mexico, ministering with fellow physicians and dentists to Mayans living in remote mountain villages.

Joe passed away on March 7, 2026 in Denton, TX. He is survived by his two daughters, Jennifer Lee Barns of Denton and Deborah Barns Hermon (Dave) of Carrollton in addition to three grandchildren (Andrew, Kevin and Carrie). He is also survived by his sister Rene’ Ochs (Dick) of Kirksville, MO, his sister Resa Glenn (Dell) of Whitney, TX, his brother Steve (Kathryn) of Denton, his sister Rebecca Bird (Derek) of Denton, his sister-in-law Debbie Reed (Buddy) of Egypt, TX, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Services will be held at 4:00 PM on March 21, 2026 at The Village Church, Denton with pastor Beau Hughes officiating. A private burial service for the family will be at the Old Alton Cemetery in Denton. In lieu of flowers, if desired, contributions in Joe’s memory can be made to Mexico Outreach, P.O. Box 64317, Colorado Springs, CO, 80962.