Roy Edward Barfield

Services for Roy Edward Barfield, 76, of Rogers will be at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at the Scanio-Harper Funeral Home in Temple, with Minister Gene Greer officiating and Mike Stirman leading congregational singing. Private family burial will be in Bellwood Memorial Park in Temple. He died Monday, January 22, 2007 in a Temple hospital. Roy was born on October 6, 1930, in Temple to Albus Emmitt and Elsa Schmidt Barfield. On June 24, 1950, he married Elizabeth Lawhon Barfield and they lived in Temple most of their married life until retirement; then they built a home on their farm near Rogers and moved to the country. All of Roy's schooling was in Temple except for various courses in the trades, such as air conditioning, boilers, etc. His work experience began as a child working in his parents' feed and grocery store. During WW II, he worked for six different taxicab owners in various capacities. Next, he helped transport cars to Texas City after the massive explosions when so many cars were demolished. After that, he worked as a short-order cook at a drive-in café (the Goody-Goody). He next worked as an apprentice plumber beside his best friend, Lynn Ray Lewellen, for Messer Plumbing Co. While there, he obtained his Journeyman Plumbing License. In 1952, during the Korean Conflict, he was drafted into the army and spent two years there-at Ft. Bliss, Texas and Ft. George G. Meade, Maryland. After being discharged, he obtained his Master Plumbing License, and went into business for himself in the plumbing, heating and air conditioning business. He maintained his own business for twenty years before becoming a civil servant at Ft. Hood and working his way up to shop foreman in the maintenance division. He retired from Ft. Hood after twenty years. While there, he was given the highest civilian award for outstanding service except that which the President of the United States can bestow. Roy was an expert in the building trades. He was never happier than when he was designing and building something new, or restoring a torn-up rent house to a "like-new" condition, or poisoning mesquites and reclaiming land on the farm. He always said he would like to leave the land in better condition than he found it. Roy cooked in the army, and he enjoyed cooking special meals for his family. He was a somewhat reserved and shy person, and not many people saw the "real" Roy, but when they did, they found that he was a tender person who sometimes cried when seeing an act of kindness or patriotism, or a tender scene in a movie. He had a deep love for God, his family and friends, his church family and his country. He was an honest and fair businessman, and when he worked for the government, he once had a high-ranking army officer come to his shop to tell him that he had the reputation of handling the government's money and business as if it were his own, and that he was deeply appreciated. Roy was a member of the Church of Christ from 1955 until his death, and had been a member of the Heidenheimer Church of Christ since 1996. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, of 56 years, and two sons; David Barfield and wife Sharon; Sam Barfield and wife Sandra, all of Rogers, and three grandchildren: John, Scott, and Laura Barfield all of Rogers. Memorials in his honor, may be made to the Heidenheimer Church of Christ building improvement/benevolence fund, at P.O. Box 177, Heidenheimer, TX, 76533. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday night. Obituary and guest book at www.scanioharperfuneralhome.com