Kenneth Earl Barker

Once upon a time, a boy named Kenneth Earl Barker was born on 4 March 1931 to parents Raymond Franklin Barker and Bertha Josephine Biggers in Holly, Colorado. He was very young when his family moved to central Washington. Ken attended four different grade schools in Kittitas Valley, two of which were Denmark Grade School and Kittitas Grade School. He graduated from Ellensburg High School in 1950 and then attended Central Washington College from 1951-1952.

Ken was then drafted by the U.S. Army in 1952 during the Korean War and had basic training at Ft. Ord, California and Ft. Huachua, Arizona. Ken was discharged in 1954 after serving in France and Germany as a radio operator. This was the first time he was away from home for an extended period of time.

After an honorable discharge from the Army, he took advantage of the G. I. Bill benefits and again returned to Central Washington College majoring in Economics. Three years later he acquired a job at the Boeing Aircraft Company in Renton as an Industrial Engineering Methods Analyst. Being located on the air field he was able to be on all the 707’s and 15 C-135’s built at that time. Two years later Boeing instituted one of their famous ‘manpower reduction’ programs and he was one of the first to go since he had no degree in aeronautics and was single.

Ken moved to Ellensburg and then to Yakima working in the grocery business as a produce manager. In the mid 1960’s he moved to Madison, Wisconsin to attend school and achieved a diploma from the University Of Wisconsin Extension Center for Action on Poverty. He went back to Yakima to work and was later offered a job as an Assistant Director for the Dane County Community Action Commission in Madison so he moved again! Next stop was Spokane and back to the grocery business. Weary of being cold he ended up in Phoenix, Arizona for a brief grocery delivery career, but Madison was calling him back. Ken worked at the Airport Limo Service meeting lots of people, many of them famous. Another job was being a security guard at the University of Wisconsin office building where he met his future wife, Lois Edwards King. They married in May of 1973. Ken returned to the grocery business as a produce manager and won many awards for his produce displays.

In 1991, both Ken and Lois retired and moved to Sun City West in Arizona. Ken pursued many volunteer activities over the years and volunteering with the American Red Cross being his most fulfilling. He traveled all around the country helping people in both natural disasters and in acts of terrorism. Ken enjoyed woodworking and oil painting giving these projects to his family and friends all around the country.

After his beloved Lois passed away in 2011, Ken moved back to Yakima to live out his life. He continued to paint and reconnected with friends. In the summer of 2017 he was diagnosed with cancer. Throughout this terrible and painful final chapter of his life, he managed to retain his quirky sense of humor, his positive attitude, his love of watching sports on TV, and his fondness for telling stories.

At the age of 86, Ken passed away on 25 November 2017 at his home in Yakima. Preceding him in death were both his parents; his younger sister, Kay in 2000; and his older brother, Don in 2011.

He is survived by his step-children: Bob, Barbara, David, and DeAnn; his brothers’ children: Dawn, Pam, Jon, and Patrick; and his sisters’ children: Sherri, Karen, Patty, Jeannie, and Jeff; four step-grandchildren; four step-great-grandchildren; five great-nieces, seven great-nephews, two great-great-nieces, four great-great-nephews; and one great-great-great nephew.

A celebration of Ken’s life will be held at the Sea Galley restaurant (purchase your own food and/or beverage) at 25 E. Valley Mall Blvd., Union Gap, Washington 98903 on 8 December 2017 at noon. Please call Juanita at 509-452-0391 to RSVP.

Remembrances may be made to North Star Lodge, 808 North 39th Ave., Yakima, Washington 98902 or Catholic Charities, 5301 Tieton Dr., Suite C, Yakima, Washington 98908-3478.