Barton Alan Fisk

Barton was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on November 27, 1957. He graduated in 1975 from Alfred M. Barbe High School, where he enjoyed playing the trumpet and performing in the school’s marching band. After graduation, he took classes at Louisiana State University then returned to Lake Charles to attend McNeese State University.

In 1981, Barton certified as a paramedic and worked for Lifecare Ambulance Services, the family-owned business. Ultimately, he decided to start his own business and opened an ice cream and sandwich shop, the first outside of Texas to sell the popular Blue Bell Ice Cream brand.

It was in that ice cream shop where Barton met his wife, Nancy, then a student at McNeese State University. He liked to tell the story of that one evening when Nancy and a group of college friends arrived at Barton’s Ice Cream Shop shortly after closing. After knocking on the glass door and pleading to be served, Barton welcomed them in, taking notice of Nancy and thereafter admitting to everyone that “it was her eyes that got me.” Many more visits to the ice cream shop followed and the two were married on September 27, 1983.

Detail-oriented and with a head for business, he returned to Lifecare and began working in the office, managing accounts and accounting, and migrating all the company’s paper transactions and business files to electronic systems. He was a natural, self-taught techie.

Barton inherited a strong entrepreneurial spirit from his hardworking mother. Through the years, he launched several successful business initiatives. Among them, he worked as an antiques dealer specializing in 18th and 19th Century French and European antiques with shops in Lake Charles and New Orleans.

Eventually, Barton’s growing interest in technology led him to move his family and take a computer tech position with Regulus in Birmingham, Alabama in 2001. Thereafter, he accepted positions at Infinity and Sun Microsystems, before landing a position as a sales and systems engineer with IBM.

Barton was well-traveled and well-read. A self-professed foodie, he loved great meals and good wine. He held a wide set of interests, making him an easy conversationalist and giving him the rare ability to talk about any subject. He always had a ready smile for everyone and never met a stranger. Sci-fi movies were a favorite and his playlists ranged from the celestial songs of Andrea Bocelli to fun and funky disco numbers. And no one made a better pot of seafood gumbo.

Barton had an inquisitive personality and a great enthusiasm for learning new things. He never simply “picked up” a hobby; he mastered it. He was passionate about his interests and strived to learn all there was to know, whether it be roasting coffee beans, making from-scratch pizzas, growing peppers, or building computers. He was also a golfer and an avid cycler before his health diagnoses, and he was a member of Church Unlimited in Birmingham.

Barton and Nancy shared a love for the beach. As their family grew, they enjoyed packing up their three little girls for frequent family vacations on the Emerald Coast, making many happy and sunny memories there.

Barton is survived by his wife, Nancy Cassell Fisk, and their three daughters, Sarah Dianne Fisk, Ashley Lynn Fisk, and Anne Margurite Fisk (Daniel Eggleton); his mother, Ruby Margurite (Peggy) Holston; sister, Dianne Marie Hinch; nephews, Shane Keith Hinch and Derek Watson Hinch; and one grand-dog, Julio. He is preceded in death by his grandparents and his father, Ivan Watson Fisk.

Visitation will be 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at Ridout’s Southern Heritage Funeral Home, 475 Cahaba Valley Road, Pelham, AL 35124. A service of remembrance for Barton will follow at 1 p.m., and burial will be at Southern Heritage Cemetery, Pelham.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations can be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through a fundraising initiative launched by daughter Sarah at https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/al/bhm21/sfisku.

To leave a message for the family: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/pelham-al/barton-fisk-10166116/add-memory.