Robert Barton

Barton, Robert
Robert Edward Barton, a journalist for many years with the New Haven Register and former New Haven Journal-Courier and also with The Detroit News, died Jan. 13 at home in Farmington.
He worked at newspapers as a reporter, editor or training officer and, after retirement, wrote a Register column, "Catching Up," specializing in interviews with former Connecticut sports figures.
Born in Troy, N.Y., the son of the late Nora (Mann) and Edward Barton of Delmar, N.Y., he was 83. His professional career included a stint managing communications at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.
Bob was a 1953 graduate of Albany (N.Y.) Academy and a 1957 graduate of Yale University and also studied at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
He was a walking encyclopedia of Yale football history and of statistics for high school football teams in Connecticut; each year Bob helped update high school statistics for publication. To assist others who phoned or emailed him sports queries, if he couldn't provide an answer immediately, he would consult his basement collection of clippings, game programs and team statistics or visit newspaper archives at the Connecticut State Library.
Active in the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance, he received its Art McGinley Award for meritorious service and for 12 years was its scholarship chairman. He was a member of the New Haven Gridiron Club, which honors local high school and college football players, officials and administrators.
In recent years he became a book editor when several author friends relied on him to catch factual and grammatical errors and contribute ideas.
He was also a walking Biblical concordance, easily able to cite the location of scriptural references. This interest resulted in his serving occasionally as guest preacher at the Northford Congregational Church in North Branford, the town where he lived for 25 years. He currently was a monthly leader of services at the Avon Health Center and was an enthusiastic singer of hymns when others were in charge.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Judith (Freund) Barton. They enjoyed traveling together, most recently to Cuba. Because Bob's father was born in England and came to this country as a child, Bob kept in touch with relatives still in Britain and visited with them there or on their visits here.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, in First Church of Christ, Congregational, 1652, at 75 Main St., Farmington. Please consider donating to Christian Community Action, 168 Davenport Ave., New Haven, CT 06519 or to a local food pantry. Arrangements are being handled by The Ahern Funeral Homes, Inc., www.ahernfuneralhome.com.