Gilbert J. Barker
Born: October 30th, 1928
Died: May 5th, 2004
Obituary
Gilbert Barker WEST BRANCH, Iowa #45;- Gilbert J. Barker, 75, West Branch, died suddenly Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at the Crestview Care and Rehab Center in West Branch. Services are 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at Trinity Episcopal Church, Iowa City. Graveside services are 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Aspen Grove Cemetery, Burlington. Visitations are 3-8 p.m. Friday, May 7, at West Branch United Methodist Church and one hour prior to services Saturday, May 8, at Trinity Episcopal Church. The Barker Funeral Home, West Branch, is in charge of arrangements. A memorial fund has been established. Mr. Barker was born Oct. 30, 1928, in Burlington, the son of Lloyd and Sally Lucille Penn Barker. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1946. Prior to his graduation at the College of Mortuary Science in St. Louis, he was employed at the former Giles Funeral Home, Burlington. He moved to West Branch in 1958, where he purchased the former Anderson Funeral Home, later in 1969, he purchased the former Snider Funeral Home in West Liberty and operated both of the businesses until the locations were sold to Scott and Jackie Henderson in 1996. He was a member of Wapsinonoc Masonic Lodge No. 381 of West Branch and the West Branch Lions Club for many years. He had been active for several years with the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in Mount Pleasant, where he served as a conductor during the Old Threshers Reunion. For 30 years, prior to retiring in 2000, he had served as official scorer for the University of Iowa Basketball Team. In 2001 he was inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club as an honorary letterman. He was also a 50-year member of the Iowa Funeral Directors Association. While living in Burlington, he was active in the Players Workshop. He was also a member of the Iowa City Community Theater and active in productions there, serving as president for two terms. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, Iowa City. Survivors include a brother, Kenneth Barker, and wife, Verla, of Mount Pleasant; four nephews, Michael Doyle, Mark Doyle, Tim Barker, and Kevin Barker; and three nieces, Patricia Farner, Krista Williams and Cindy Reinhart. He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Dorothy; and a brother, Lisle.