Silas Richard Barker, 94, passed away on Thursday, May 5, 2011, at Whealdon Estates Retirement Home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was 94 years old.
He was born in Simmons, West Virginia, on May 15, 1916, to Arthur Lee Barker and Nancy Carolyn Howell Barker. He was a World War II veteran, having served as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army. He was wounded in the Philippines and received a Purple Heart. He was a graduate of Monroe Business College in Panama City, Florida. He was an accountant and a Vice-President of Harders Construction Co. in Panama City, where he resided for thirty-four years before his retirement to the Baton Rouge area in 1981. He was a member of the Methodist Church and a Third Degree Mason.
He is survived by a daughter: Judith Barker Landry and husband, Gerald, of Plaquemine, Louisiana; three granddaughters: Charmain Landry Touchstone and husband, David, of Bossier City, Louisiana; Suzanne Barker Landry of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Felicia Landry Lormand and husband, Judd, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; three great grandchildren: William Wallace Touchstone, Arabella Madeline Touchstone, and Ellie Kay Lormand; one sister: Shirley Barker Williams Carlton of Roanoke, Virginia; and a faithful companion, Helen Vaughn, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
He is preceded in death by his first wife of 55 years, Madeline Hawthorne Barker; and his second wife, Wilma Blouin Barker.
Funeral services will be held at Farris Funeral Home, 427 East Main Street, Abingdon, Virginia, on Friday, May 13, 2011 at 2:00 PM with Rev. Paul T. Griffith officiating. Burial will follow the service at Holston Conference Methodist Cemetery in Emory, Virginia with military honors provided by the Highlands Veterans Honor Guard and the Virginia National Guard Honor Gaurd. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
The family and Helen Vaughn would like to thank KWP Staffing, Sincerity Services, Generations Hospice, and the management at Whealdon Estates for their compassionate care and support.
The family of Silas Richard Barker is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service, 427 East Main Street, Abingdon, Virginia 24210 (276) 623-2700.