William F. Barber

     William F. Barber was born circa 1913 at Alaska Territory, USA.¹ He was the son of Guy B. Barber and Fanny K. (?)¹
     William F. Barber died on 18 April 2004 at Anchorage, Anchorage Borough, Alaska, USA.²
     William's obituary was published in Anchorage Daily News on 21 April 2004 at Anchorage, Anchorage Borough, Alaska.² His obituary states
"Deceased Name: ANCHORAGE -- William Barber, 87 William John Barber, 87, of Anchorage, died April 18, 2004, at the Anchorage Pioneers' and Veterans' Home.
A memorial service will be at noon Thursday at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, just east of 24th Avenue and Boniface Parkway, with a reception afterward. A public visitation is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. today at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, Eighth Avenue and E Street. Inurnment will be held at a later date in Granite Falls, Minn.
Mr. Barber was born April 30, 1916, in Granite Falls. He played football and graduated from high school there in 1934 during the Great Depression. He moved to Oregon as a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps. There he met and married Jessie in 1938.
In 1941, Mr. Barber brought his family to Anchorage, where he worked for a year as an operator and maintenance technician for KFQD Radio. He then began a 31-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration. He managed stations around Alaska including Northway, Cordova, Nome, Galena and Anchorage, where they settled in 1958, in time to watch the statehood bonfire downtown.
In 1957, Mr. Barber led a group of Boy Scouts including his sons to a national jamboree in Valley Forge, Pa. He was an Eagle Scout himself and received a Silver Beaver award for volunteering.
Throughout his life, he volunteered -- particularly as a ham radio operator. After the 1964 earthquake, he relayed word for people to their relatives Outside. He worked communications for the Iditarod and Anchorage Fur Rendezvous sled dog races and the Walk for Hope.
His family recalled: "In 1995, around his 80th birthday, Bill walked the Heart Run for the first time ever, and demanded a medal like those being given to children. His wry sense of humor was evident to the end. In the hospital for colon cancer surgery in January, he flirted with the nurses.
"Bill nurtured an optimistic view of life. He never won the lottery despite years of trying, but many of his dreams did come true. He built a cabin next to the Kenai River, which he loved, and caught many king salmon. He traveled the U.S., Canada and Mexico in motor homes in early retirement. He saw most of his grandchildren graduate from college, law school and post-graduate programs. Bill gave away one granddaughter at her wedding, and cried as another graduated from medical school. And he never gave up hope that someday, Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes would come to his door.
"He had two loves, his first wife, Jessie Mary Seger, whom he met and married as a young man, and his second wife, Vera Ariel, who came into his life in 1991, the year after Jessie died."
He was also preceded in death by his son, Joseph Barber.
Mr. Barber is survived by his wife, Vera, of Anchorage; children and spouses, Peter and Karen Barber, David and Kathy Barber and Rosemary and Vincent Shinohara; stepchildren and spouses, Ted and Kathy Ariel and Sandra and Bob Baggot; former daughter-in-law, Lynn Shill; 15 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Anchorage Daily News (AK)
Date: April 21, 2004
Edition: Final
Page: B9
Record Number: 483084204/21/04
Copyright (c) 2004, Anchorage Daily News.²