John H. Barker, 89, of Pleasant Plains passed away May 10, 2016 at Foxbridge Assisted Living in Memphis, TN. Born in Pangburn, AR, John was the son of Jared H. Barker and Mary Sutherland Barker. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 65 years, Vera M. Rash Barker; daughter Sandra Barker and brother Jared T. Barker. John was an Arkansas school administrator for 30 years, in Wilburn, Manila, Concord, Bearden and Osceola where he retired in 1986 after 20 years as Director of Instruction. John graduated from Arkansas College in Batesville where he met and married the love of his life. Just one "Good morning, John " was all it took. He went on to earn several graduate degrees. He was a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Kiwanis International, where he served a term as President in Osceola, and was past president of Independence County Retired Teachers Association. John was a passionate outdoorsman, an accomplished storyteller, woodworker, inventor and farmer, and with his wife Vera, was among the first farmers in Northeast Arkansas to offer farm-to-customer blueberries. John was a lifelong Methodist and active member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church for over 25 years. Survivors include two sisters: Mary Lou McCollough of Cabot and Linda Thomas (Claude)of Sherwood, a brother Joel Barker (Pat) of Denver, CO; three daughters: Karen Barker of Pleasant Plains, Sara Goff(Sam) of Memphis, TN and Joan Schuman (Tom)of Rolla, MO and three grandchildren : Jared, Audrey and Jonathan. Services will be held Monday, May 16, 2016 11:00 am at Cedar Grove United Methodist Church in Floral, AR. Visitation will be Sunday, May 15 at Willis Funeral Service in Batesville, AR from 5-7 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church or to Arkansas Food Bank.

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