Archie Lloyd Barber Jr., a resident of Magnolia, died April 9 at the age of 83.
He was born May 6, 1923, in Spur, Texas, to Archie Lloyd Barber and Lois (nee McKeever) Barber.
Mr. Barber served his country as an Army Air Corps cadet during World War II, and as a flight engineer on the B-36 "Peacemaker" bomber during the Korean War. He married Donna Gail Messman on Christmas Day, 1946, in Sandpoint, Idaho. The couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Christmas Day, 2006, with their seven children and many grandchildren.
Mr. Barber moved to Alaska in 1952 to join the family trucking business. In 1957, he began his 21-year career with the Alaska Territorial Police which, after Alaskan statehood, became the Alaska State Troopers. He retired in 1978 as a captain with the Alaska State Troopers.
Archie and Donna enjoyed an active and healthy retirement in Port Townsend. His hobbies included running, gardening, working on his 1970 Mustang and collecting and shooting guns. They moved to Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood in 2001 to live closer to family. Mr. Barber enjoyed his time in Magnolia. He was a familiar figure at the local sports fields, where he could be seen sitting on the seat of his walker wrapped in blankets and sporting a hunter's orange Winchester hat. His granddaughters appreciated him for his loyal support of their efforts in dance, soccer, basketball and softball.
Mr. Barber endured several years of illness but he was kept alive by his life force, which consisted of an intense love for his life, his family, his country and a life-long curiosity and interest in the world around him. He was an interesting, challenging, complex and charismatic man. He had many jobs and many roles in his life, but his most important roles were as loving husband to Donna, as father to his seven children and as grandfather and great-grandfather to 22 children.
Survivors include his wife, Donna; son Jeff (Patricia) of San Francisco, Calif.; Julie White (Bob) of Elmira, Ore.; Jana Sullivan (Tim) of Costa Mesa, Calif.; Jennifer Ray (Larry) of Columbus, Ohio; Joni Brandt (Gary) of Anchorage, Alaska; and Jill Gilbert (Jon) of Seattle. His son, Jonn Lee Barber, died unexpectedly on April 17, 2007; Jonn is survived by his wife, Devi, and daughter, Shalayna. Mr. Barber is also survived by numerous grandchildren (including Magnolia residents Anna and Olivia Gilbert) and numerous great-grandchildren.
There will be no services. Remembrances can be made to the American Heart Association, 710 Second Ave., Ste. 900, Seattle, WA 98104, or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Training and Resource Center, 700 Broadway, Ste. 810, Denver, CO 80203. The family contact is Jill Gilbert at jill_gilbert@hotmail.com.[[In-content Ad]]
