Craig Alan Barker

Craig is preceded in death by his mother, Marian (Rudolph) Barker. He is survived by his father Wayne Barker of Kittanning, PA; wife of 39 years Kimberly (Free) Barker of Holly Springs, NC; son Jacob Barker and his wife Elizabeth (Meyers) Barker, grandchildren Cameron and Abigail Barker of Raleigh, NC; daughter Kaylene (Barker) Royston and her husband William Royston, grandson Mason Royston of Castle Rock, CO; brother Stephen Barker and his wife Sara Barker of Rural Valley, PA, children Seth and Hannah Barker; and brother Michael Barker and his wife Melissa Barker, of Kittanning, PA, children Kierstin (Barker) Trainer and Zachary Barker.

Craig was born on April 27th, 1962 to Wayne Henry Barker and Marian Irene Rudolph. Born in Kittanning, PA, Craig grew up working on his Uncle Bill’s and grandfather’s farm with his brothers where he developed an incredible work ethic. The memories of the farm always maintained a very special place in his heart and he’d often enjoy sharing stories.

He graduated from Geneva College with a degree in electrical engineering and began his career working at IBM as a part of the computer program supporting the NASA space shuttles.

Craig and Kim were married in 1985 and began building their lives together in New York. They later moved to Cary, NC when he relocated with IBM/Lenovo as a Project Manager for 40 years until he retired. His most prideful moment through it all was when he was promoted to Pop Pop; a role in which he excelled at beyond measure.

In North Carolina, he raised his family while enjoying frequent boating outings on Jordan Lake and developing a hobby for woodworking. He will be remembered for his talent of finding beauty in woodgrain, often gifting his pieces to close friends and family. Most importantly, Craig was a devoted member of his church, always put family first and would do anything for his loved ones.

A service will be held at White Plains United Methodist Church on Saturday, February 8th, 2025 taking place at 1:00pm. The address is 313 SE Maynard Rd, Cary, NC 27511. Reception to follow. Please wear your “lightning rod for miracles” t-shirt if you have one.

Final resting place will be located at Wake Memorial Park. The address is 7002 Green Hope School Rd, Cary, NC 27519.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the following organizations:

White Plains United Methodist Church

313 SE Maynard Rd, Cary, NC 27511

wpumc.com

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Donation Processing Center

Po Box 5041

Boone, IA 50950-0041

pancan.org