Eric Michael Barbaree Tasker

Eric Michael Barbaree Tasker, 54, of Birmingham, Alabama passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 15, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. For five weeks, Eric fought an incredible fight against an aggressive esophageal cancer. While he lost that fight on earth, his family is comforted to know he is in the arms of God and relieved of all that he suffered!

Eric was a quiet man of faith who believed we are here to humbly show the love of Jesus by accepting people, no matter who they are or what their story – and he lived his life doing that. He constantly found ways to help others, always shying away from credit, and taking great joy in making someone happy or helping them solve a problem.

Having graduated with a degree in Architecture from Auburn University in 1996, Eric looked for ways to combine his natural talents in design, building, and creative problem-solving. He was wicked smart and endlessly thinking about how things worked, went together, and could improve. If you had a crazy idea with no idea how to execute, he could figure out how to make it happen and make it better. He launched SmallBox Company, where he combined his design and construction abilities to convert shipping containers into retail spaces. In his last project, completed in 2025, he built a one-of-a-kind bar and outdoor space for Up-Down Arcade in the Parkside District downtown, creating a recognizable beacon with a 40-foot container turned on end and internally lit.

His creativity also turned up in the kitchen, as Eric was an amazing cook. His family will profoundly miss enjoying his time-tested specialties and the surprises he would create from his latest inspirations. The wider community may have come to know his dishes at Woodlawn Marketplace, where, over the past year, he relished making food in a café that brings people together in Birmingham’s Woodlawn neighborhood. From 2014-2024, he regularly spent many weekend hours setting up and breaking down the Woodlawn Street Market, because he cared deeply about creating opportunities for small and minority business owners to grow and bring their energy to Woodlawn, a community he loved.

His service also extended to the churches where he found God. Eric discovered his faith 20 years ago at Redstone Church and grew to be an elder there. But his greatest contribution was holding babies during Sunday service, where he gained the name the “baby whisperer.” Once Redstone closed post-pandemic, the family moved to Mountaintop Church and continued to serve. Eric joined the parking team, and a highlight of his week was talking to a team member about how to show the love of God in today’s divisive times.

Eric was born in Great Falls, Montana on June 25,1971 to Michael E. Tasker and Mary K. Tasker and grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia. His early days were filled with adventures that made for great stories of the pranks he played on family and friends. He loved nothing better than catching his family off-guard and making them jump or scream from a surprise entrance.

He grew up an avid soccer player and continued playing all the way to Auburn. That fortuitous choice led to him meeting the love of his life. As a Soccer Sweetheart, Elizabeth led the “little sister” organization to support the team, and Eric quickly decided she was the one. Elizabeth and Ali Johnson, Eric’s best friend of thirty-five years, agree on where their spark started, while Eric always swore it happened in another location. But anyone who knows them knows Eric and Elizabeth were always disagreeing about the littlest of things; no doubt Eric would laugh and lovingly roll his eyes at Elizabeth now declaring a final win: they met at a soccer game at Huntingdon College, not Maxwell Airforce Base, in Montgomery!

Their friends and family also know that Eric and Elizabeth whole-heartedly agreed on what’s most important in life – love like Jesus, be kind, and make the world a better place, especially for people facing extra barriers and unfair battles in our world. They built a life that kept them in a diverse community, so that they and their children interacted with and loved a wide range of people, many of whom are different from them. Above all, Eric was known as a deeply loving husband and father who carried those values into his every day. He prioritized his family over everything, ensuring his work kept him nearby, because he cherished opportunities to be involved and available for the people he loved most. He was an active and engaged father, and his children made him most proud. Eric would be pleased to see that his children, and the large and broad community of people who have shown up to support his family in this time, prove the values he and Elizabeth live by hold true in the hardest of times.

Eric is survived by his wife of 30 years, Elizabeth Barbaree-Tasker; his daughter, Anne Maison Barbaree Tasker; his son, Markus Drake Barbaree Tasker; his father, Michael Tasker; his brother and sister-in-law Keith and Angela Tasker; sister- and brother-in-law Laura and Steve Bowers; niece Kyuss Tasker; nephews Jared and Matthew Bowers; and a great-niece Amberley Bowers. To add to the family’s sorrow, his mother Mary Tasker preceded him in death on December 30, 2025. His brother-in-law, Tommy Barbaree, also preceded him in death, as did their adopted Nana and Papa, Mary Ann and Tom Cordell.

During his brief illness, Eric received excellent care from a wide-ranging team of doctors and nurses at UAB, and he was supported in prayer by many friends and family members. Elizabeth and their children are forever grateful for that dedicated care and love. They especially want to thank his oncologist Dr. Qasim Hussaini and the teams of ICU nurses who cared so well for him in his last days. Most importantly, his family will carry Eric in their hearts all their days and share stories of all the good he brought to them and the world.

Our family will be honoring Eric's life on Friday, February 6, 2026 at 2:30 pm with a time of visitation from 1 pm to 2 pm before the service.  We will be graciously hosted by Avondale United Methodist Church, in the community that Eric loved and served. Carter McInnis, lead pastor of Mountaintop Church where our family attends, will lead the service.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to REV Birmingham, Inc. c/o Eric Tasker Memorial. Funds will be earmarked for work in the Woodlawn community, where he has passionately worked and served for the past fifteen years.