Gary Barker

1951 - 2020

Gary Barker Gary Lee Barker, age 69, of Glen Carbon, IL, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 10, 2020 at his home. Gary was born on January 17, 1951 in Granite City, IL, the son of Betty (Sanders) Morthland of Glen Carbon, IL and the late Arthur "Herman" Barker. Gary was self-employed as a general contractor who could build, fix or repair anything. He was known for his ability to "modify" anything, so that it worked the way he wanted it to. He loved auto racing and raced, primarily "sportsman class" stock cars, during the 70's at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL. He made several trips to attend Nascar events and was an annual attendee of the Indy 500for many years, which is where he was when his first grandson, Derek, chose to make his appearance. He never failed to come back with "memorabilia". He was also one of the founding members of the RC Outlaws, RC club and dedicated a lot of time to this because he enjoyed racing RC cars, airplanes, etc. One of his favorite things was to sit outside under the stars, watching the races on TV and feed the various critters that came around. His greatest joy was spending time with his family whom he loved most of all. He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. In addition to his mother, Gary is survived by his loving children, Christy Bellovich of Bethalto, IL and Garry (Stephanie) Barker of East Alton, IL; half brothers, Greg (Katherine) Barker of St. Ann, MO and Jeffrey Barker of Glen Carbon, IL; step family Susan (Dennis) Vaughn and family and Jay Morthland; grandchildren, Derek and Shawn Bellovich; girlfriend, Kim Davis of Glen Carbon, IL; extended family and many friends. Besides Gary's father, he was preceded in death by his grandparents, William "Pappy" and Helen Sanders; stepfather, Jim Morthland and his beloved dog, Faye. Memorial donations may be given to Shriners Childrens Hospital in St. Louis or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.irwinchapel.com. Service: Gary requested to be cremated and a private memorial visitation and memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2020 at Irwin Chapel, 591 Glen Crossing Road, Glen Carbon, IL, with Pastor Dennis Vaughn officiating.