Col. Howard D Barnard, III

Col. Howard D. Barnard III, 81, passed away on Friday, May 8th,  2026 at his home in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. He was born on January 21, 1945, in Albany, Georgia, the son of Howard Barnard and Theodosia Donaldson Barnard. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Albany High School, where he was a three-year letterman in basketball and track. In 1967, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Georgia and received his Air Force commission through the university’s ROTC program.

For the next 28 years, he served his country with distinction as a fighter pilot and paratrooper, accumulating over 5,000 flying hours in single-seat fighters, including the A-10, in which he was recognized as a Top Gun. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma, a Master’s degree in Military Arts and Sciences from the U.S. Army War College, and also pursued additional postgraduate studies in Environmental Engineering at Pennsylvania State University.

A veteran of the Vietnam conflict, Colonel Barnard also served as a commander during Operation Desert Storm. He was decorated for heroism in combat, receiving two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 13 Air Medals. Throughout his career, he commanded at every level within an Air Force Fighter Wing and served on the fighter planning staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. In 1982, he was assigned to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, where he served for four years and commanded the 356th Fighter Squadron—an assignment he considered the highlight of his distinguished Air Force career.

Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1995, Colonel Barnard returned to Horry County and became deeply involved in volunteer service. A devoted member of the Presbyterian Church for more than 30 years, he served as an elder, deacon, and teacher. From 1995 to 2007, he worked as Director of Lay and Stewardship Ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Myrtle Beach, leading outreach efforts both locally and internationally. He guided church volunteer groups in building more than 30 homes in Mexico through Constructors para Cristo (Builders for Christ), accompanied medical and dental mission teams worldwide, and organized local relief efforts following Hurricane Mitch. As the fastest runner in the family, for years he ran in and then volunteered at the Myrtle Beach marathon handing out “holy water” at the same mile marker every year. 

He served nine years on the Habitat for Humanity Board, including two years as president, and volunteered as an adult reading instructor with the Horry County Literacy Council. He also served on the Carolina Trust Supervisory Board, the Coast RTA Board of Directors, and the Surfside Area Rotary Board of Directors, including one year as president. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he led eight volunteer teams to New Orleans to assist with relief efforts and also participated in a dental assistance program in Haiti.

For more than 20 years, he helped prepare and serve hot meals at the Street Reach homeless mission in Myrtle Beach through a church volunteer group. He was an active member of the Flight of the Daedalians, an organization for military pilots, and served as flight captain (president). Alongside his good friend, Col.  Edsel “Coupe” DeVille, he co-developed Wright Flight, an aviation incentive program for local public school students that has positively impacted hundreds of sixth graders. In 2009 they started the Surfside Rotary 5kTurkey Trot to raise funds for Wright Flight.  In 2025, over 1,200 runners participated.

Elected to Horry County Council in March 2003, Colonel Barnard served until December 2010 as a representative for the Burgess community. He played a key role in building consensus for the one-cent sales tax for road improvements and was instrumental in advancing local building projects, including new libraries and fire protection initiatives that helped lower insurance costs. Drawing on his experiences with hurricanes Hugo, Mitch, and Katrina, he spearheaded efforts to improve evacuation routes for the South Strand area as chairman of the Southern Evacuation Lifeline Task Force. He was also influential in securing funding and support for the General Aviation Terminal and the expansion of Myrtle Beach Airport.

In November of 2020 he was elected to the Horry County Board of Education, proudly serving until this year, representing the South Strand communities of Garden City and Burgess in District 5.

Colonel Barnard was a man of deep faith who loved his family, his friends, and the joy of flying.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Marga Faith Massey; his daughter, Beth Barnard Blum and her husband, Buck; his son, Howard D. Barnard IV and his wife, Julie; and five grandchildren: Dr. Andrew Ellis Blum (Dr. Courtney), Catherine Blum MacLaren (Stephen), Sarah Barnard Watson (Will), James Cole Barnard, and Ella Rose Barnard. He is also survived by his loving sister, Doty Barnard Dunn, and her husband, JD. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 55 years, Connie Cordell Barnard.

A memorial service will be held at 2pm on Thursday, May 28th at First Presbyterian Church, Grissom Campus, located at 3810 Robert M Grissom Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 followed by a reception in Wilkes Hall.

Memorials may be made to the Connie Barnard Memorial Garden at First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 70127, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Col. Howard D Barnard, III, please visit our floral store.