Richard K. Barber
January 11, 1930 ~ March 26, 2020
Richard K. Barber, 90, of Mattoon, passed away at 8:55 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2020 at his residence.
Richard was born January 11, 1930 in rural Moultrie County, the son of John and Gladys (Coffey) Barber. A lady from Coles Station delivered him, because the doctor could not make it to the family home because of a snow storm. He married Mary Lou Wente on October 8, 1949 in Neoga. She preceded him in death on September 23, 2014.
Richard started his career as manager at Gebhart’s Auto Supply in Mt. Vernon, and was then transferred to Urbana. He then worked for the Mattoon Water Department, before taking employment with Ameren, where he worked for 30 years before his retirement. Richard was a long-time member of Immaculate Conception Church in Mattoon, and a founding father of Camp New Hope in Mattoon. He was also a member of the Moose, Eagles, Elks, and a former member of CCAR. For many years, Richard enjoyed his time spent as a baseball coach.
He was also preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Andrew, Wayne, and John Barber; granddaughter, Dana Lynn; and son-in-law, Jim Shafer.
Richard is survived by his children, Linda Shafer of Taylorville, Kenneth (wife, Velma) Barber of Merced, CA, Sharon (husband, Terry) Holderfield of Mattoon, and Ronald (wife, Annie) Barber of Charleston; grandchildren, David (wife, Jenny) Dickerson, Joe (wife, Patty) Shafer, Dacia (Tim Passoni) Nisbet, Jonathan (wife, Stephanie) Barber, Jeff Barber, Ellyn (Steve Bower) Barber, Emily Barber, Kendra (husband, Jeremy) Saal, Kenneth Barber, and Anthony Barber; great grandchildren, Averi Nisbet, Kynnedi Goldstein, Korbyn Passoni, Quynn Passoni, Noah Passoni, Jasmyn Passoni, Andrew Saal, Nicholas Saal, Isabella Saal, Nicholas Norman, Laney Dickerson, Molly Shafer, Jack Shafer, Ian Barber, Colin Barber, Haven Bower, Kaya Bower, Leona Bower; brother, Jack (wife, Lucy) Barber of Lexington, KY; sister, Joyce (husband, Marvin) Oakley of Casey; sisters-in-law, Pat Kuhns of Effingham, Alice Fisher of Springfield, and JoAnn Wente of Springfield; brother-in-law, Mike Wente of CA; and many nieces and nephews.
Private family graveside ceremonies will be held at Calvary Cemetery in Mattoon. A memorial mass and celebration of life will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to: Camp New Hope, PO Box 764, Mattoon, IL 61938.
The family has entrusted Shafer-Perfetti & Assalley Funeral Home, 202 W. Franklin St., Taylorville, IL 62568 with ceremonies.
Please visit www.assalleyfuneralhomes.com to offer condolences to the family.
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Linda,
So sorry to hear about your Dad. Prayers to you and your family.
Debbie Perfetti Curl
Sorry to read of your brother’s passing! Love & Hugs, Myra Edmonds Jeffris
Dear Linda …prayers of comfort and peace to you and your family 🙏🏼♥️
So sorry to hear of your loss. May he Rest in Peace. My thoughts and prayers are with You.
God Bless
Connie (Howell) Thomas
Ron,
I always remember how gentle and calm your dad was. He was so good in taking care of your mom. The apostle Paul told us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Blessing to you and Annie,
Roger Rives
Linda, Kenny, Sharon and Ronnie, So sorry to hear of the loss of your dad. He was such a kind man and always made me smile with memories of when I was very little. It was always a joy when I ran into him and your mom when I was in town. He always had updates on all of you and your children and of course we always talked about our Cubs. Thinking of you all. He will be missed.
Mindy Willingham Wingler
Dick was my Little League coach. What a kind, gentle mentor he was at a time when I was scared to death of my own Father. I called him a few years ago to tell him how important the role was he had played in my life. I’m so glad I did. God speed, Dick. You were my champion.