Keith Macdonald Barton

Keith Macdonald Barton, 86, of Harrisonburg, passed away on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at Sunnyside Health Care.
Dr. Barton was born on April 16, 1939, in Summit, New Jersey, and was a son of the late Donald Barton and Jo (Johnson) Barton Tuck. Through his mother's lineage, he was a descendant of Mayflower passenger William Bradford, the first governor of Massachusetts.
Keith swam competitively for Princeton University and graduated in 1960. Subsequently, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving in the Vietnam War on the destroyer USS Dale in the Gulf of Tonkin. He earned a Ph.D. in history from Florida State University, where he met and married Janice Ruth Sweeny in 1967.
Keith taught history at El Centro College in Dallas, Texas, then moved with his wife to Topeka, Kansas, where they lived for 33 years. There he served as a certified IRS tax preparer as well as a literacy advocate and tutor. Keith was a voracious reader and lifelong student of history. His hobbies included playing both 6- and 12-string guitars, running and swimming. He ran 26 marathons, including Boston, and competed as a master swimmer.
Keith is survived by his wife, Janice Sweeny Barton.
A celebration of Keith's life will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Rockingham/Harrisonburg S.P.C.A. by visiting https://rhspca.org/direct-donate-to-the-rhspca/