Ronald Dean Barker

Ronald Barker Obituary

HERRIN - Ronald Dean Barker, 60, died at 4:28 p.m. Wednesday in Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn.

Ron was born in Herrin to Bill and Nellie Barker. He grew up in Herrin along with five brothers and three sisters. He is retired from the Navy and an avid Harley-Davidson biker.

He married Priscilla Gray in Herrin in 1968, and she survives. Also surviving are three children and their families, Suzi Sears and her husband, Steven, and their daughter Miranda, of Clearwater, Fla.; Jef Barker and his wife, Shannon, and their daughters Phoebe, Lydi, and Abi of Oceanside, Calif.; Kristi Barker and her sons, Johnny, Tony, Vinny, and T.J. of Hixson, Tenn.

After graduating from high school, Ron enlisted in the Navy and went to boot camp in San Diego, Calif. He served as a nuclear electronics technician on fast attack submarines. He left active duty service in 1974 as a Petty Officer First Class and retired from the reserves in 1991.

From 1974 to 1990, he worked for Mercury out of Brockton, Mass. In 1990 he went to work for Raytheon out of New York.

He has lived in the Dayton, Tenn. area for the past 15 years.

After he had his first heart attack in 1996, he spent the rest of his life volunteering by driving disabled veterans in his area to the Veterans Hospital in Nashville. He also enjoyed competition kite flying. He enjoyed flying model airplanes and model helicopters. He taught himself embroidery. Besides his wife and playing with his grandchildren and his dog, Graham, his greatest love was his Harley and the toys that he created to entertain the other bikers at the rallies that he attended.

He was a member of the VFW and the American Legion.

Ron is preceded in death by his parents. Four brothers have also preceded him in death, John "Sonny," Tom, Carl "Pop Corn" and Lendall "Bud."

He is going to be missed so much by his only surviving brother, Harold Gene Baggot, of Santa Ana, Calif.; sisters, Wilma of Herrin, Wanda (Lee) of Carbondale and Ruth of Kankakee and so many nieces and nephews and friends, too numerous to count.

A memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in St Bridget Catholic Church on Walnut Grove Church Road in Dayton, Tenn.

Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 7454 E. Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Southern Illinoisan from Feb. 2 to Feb. 3, 2007.

Memories and Condolences
for Ronald Barker

1 Entry

Marsha Watson

February 2, 2007

I am so sorry for your family's loss. Just reading the various posts over the years on this family page showed how close you-all were. What a blessing to have this page to keep others updated even about sad events.

I only met Ron a few times in my life. Some I remember, some I don't. I guess my biggest memory was the summer that he spent in California and the Baggot's stopped by Arizona on their way back to Illinois. My dad, Charles Watson, took time off work and we had a couple of fun days in the pool and just goofing around. One night Ron mentioned that he had worked in a pizza parlor and my dad, Mike and Ron proceeded to make pizza for about fifteen people from scratch. Us kids stood around as Ron was trying to demonstrate how to toss a pizza in the air in our normal size kitchen. He spun it around a couple of times....and then just as my dad had predicted it stuck to the ceiling. This is my most treasured memory of Ron.

There was a time (maybe the same visit) when Aunt Nellie was with them. Aunt Nellie I think was my favorite aunt, other than Aunt Helen, on my dad's side. She always treated me like I was a person even though I was a little kid. Aunt Nellie told a story that Ron said he didn't really remember but had memories of because he had heard it so often. I guess they had come for a visit while we lived in Michigan. Evidently we all drove out to Belle Island one night and were watching the ships on the water. After a few minutes when the conversation lapsed, a very young Ron made the pronouncement that "they couldn't all be moons" or something to that effect. He had been looking out the side window at all the round street lamps in the park. Even in the 1960's the adults still thought this was an amusing story.

I had so looked forward to getting more stories like this at the next family reunion. I am very regretful that I wasn't able to attend other family reunions. It seems that with few exceptions people on my dad's side of the family do not have very long lives. I think this is all the more reason to treasure each day that we are given and each other. As my sister, Sherry, posted yesterday would have been my dad's 82nd birthday. In looking at different dates on both sides of our family it is amazing the number of dates that are the same for various life events. I can only believe that this date was selected for your dad's homecoming before he was born. Just thinking about the reunion in heaven yesterday spins my mind around. I have my memories of Ron as a very young man, and I had so looked forward to meeting and knowing the father and grandfather he had become. Time is so very precious and once again I am so very sorry for your loss.

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