Richard A. Barnier Sr

Richard (Peppy) A. Barnier Sr, 94 years old, a lifelong resident of Essex Junction Vermont passed away peacefully on December 12, 2024, 10 days before his 95th birthday at the McClure Miler Respite, House in Colchester, Vermont. He was born on December 22, 1929, right at the start of the Great Depression to his now deceased parents, Albert and Blanche (Badger) Barnier of Burlington, Vermont.
The story of his life has had many chapters. During his younger years in the 1930s, he was raised in Burlington, along with his older brother Donald and his younger siblings, Robert and Pauline. The family survived these trying times during that decade, but tragically in 1940, at the tender age of 10 years old his mother, Blanche passed away. The family carried on, but a few years later, after finishing the ninth grade, he had to quit school and went to work to help out the family. His first job was working for Barrett's Coal and Ice delivering ice to families in Burlington and surrounding areas. He worked there for several years, but eventually moved to Fairfax Vermont, where he worked on his grandfather Henry's farm.
In 1949 he decided to enlist in the Armed Forces where he earned his GED and achieved the rank of staff sergeant in the army. Unfortunately, in June 1950 he was deployed to fight in the Korean War where he served as a tank commander. But after one tour of duty there, he declined a second tour, after witnessing the horrors of the war, and was honorably discharged, returning home to Burlington, Vermont, where he kissed the ground so happy to be back home alive and away from the war.
In 1952 the next Chapter in his life began when he met the love of his life Susan Rivers. They fell in love and married each other on June 6, 1953 one day before her 18th birthday. They eventually relocated to Waterbury Vermont were they both got jobs working at the Vermont State hospital. They resided there for several years working and raising their family, which now included two sons, Tony and Scott. Then in 1963 the next chapter in his life began when the family relocated back to Essex Junction, where they bought a new home. Soon in 1965, son number three Mark was born. Shortly after that, he decided to join with his brothers, newly formed trucking business, Barnier's General trucking, and worked as part owner for many years. Then, when his sons grew up, he split from the business and started his own business, Barnier and sons trucking. While working his new business, he picked up the nickname "Packy" due to his uncanny ability to load trucks to their maximum capacity.
During his lifetime, he loved deer hunting, enjoyed fishing and camping with his family. He loved sports, playing, softball, bowling and was a hell of a horseshoe thrower. He loved boating and water skied until his 70s. And then, in 1997 he decided it was time to retire and sold the trucking business, and began enjoying his golden years with Susan his beloved wife. For the next 19 years, they enjoyed their lives with their growing immediate family, and with their friends from their summer home in North hero, Vermont and eventually they became snowbirds migrating to their winter residence in sunny Ruskin, Florida. Then tragically in the summer of 2016, he lost his wife of 63 years, the love of his life to a heart attack caused by years of battling COPD. Thus began the last chapter of his story life, "Peppy", as everyone now called him after his first grandchild was born, was the hardest worker you'll ever know. He was truly loved by all his family and friends, and was a wonderful, loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. But he missed the love and companionship of his wife, and that took a terrible toll on him, especially during the last eight years of his life on this earth.
He will be dearly missed by his surviving family, which includes his three sons, Tony (Kim), Scott (Barb), and Mark (Kelly), his six grandchildren (Teejay, Missy, Michele, Nicole, and Amanda & Valerie), and his eight great-grandchildren (Karlee, Richard, Harper, Kameron, Keegan, Chloe, Kaila and Finan). Richard was predeceased by his parents Albert and Blanche, four brothers (Donald, Robert, James and George) and his three sisters (Pauline, Marie, and Bernadette). Per his request, there will be no funeral services, but a celebration of life and his burial service is tentatively plan for early June 2025. " DAD NOW REST IN PEACE WITH MOM"