Mr. William Onico Barker's Obituary
William O. (Bill) Barker died on March 25th in Dallas, Texas, following a brief illness. He was 88.
Born in Reidsville, North Carolina, Bill was the elder of two children born to Ellis Gould and Ethel Sledge Barker. After the family settled in Danville, Bill graduated from George Washington High School. He continued his education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army, military intelligence, during the aftermath of the Korean War.
After fulfilling his commitment to the Army, Bill returned to Danville and embarked upon a long and rewarding career as a funeral director. It was then he met Lucy Mae Lovell. Bill and Lucy married in 1962 and shared the remarkable 61 years that followed.
Bill's life was lived in service to others. In addition to his familial and professional duties, he sought to publicly serve his community. From 1968 to 1976 he sat on the Danville City Council and from 1980 to 1992 he represented Danville and Pittsylvania County as senator in the Virginia General Assembly.
A country boy at heart, Bill enjoyed being outdoors and in his early life he was a wanderer and an avid fisherman. Later, he relished traveling with Lucy. With his uncanny ability to create adventure out of thin air, their many trips together made a deep impression on them and on anyone who heard their tales.
Bill is survived by his wife Lucy, a daughter, Starlette Johnson, a son, Ellis Barker, all of Dallas, Texas, as well as a granddaughter, Isabel Barker of Arlington, Virginia, and his sister, Alice Jo Campbell of Richmond, Virginia.
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