William Barker, 84

Feb. 8, 1934 —

July 3, 2018

 

Rochester - William “Bill” Barker, age 84 of Rochester, Minn. passed away July 3, 2018. 

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, July 13 at Christ United Methodist Church in Rochester, with visitation one hour before in the church commons. 

On Saturday, July 14 at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Lime Springs, family and friends will share memories of Bill’s life, followed by a meal at the Lime Springs Community Center. 

Bill was born on Feb. 8, 1934 and raised in Lime Springs, Iowa, the eldest child of  William Earl and Clara (Applen) Barker. He grew up with horses and dogs, loved hunting pheasant and playing baseball and  basketball. He graduated from Lime Springs high school in 1952 and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving as an infantry  sergeant from 1953-1955. He attended Iowa Teachers College and Winona State on the GI Bill. 

In 1958 he married Wailana Shaffer after meeting her at the United Methodist Church in Lime Springs. They settled in Rochester, where Bill  worked for Pepsi, Marigold Dairy, Mutual of Omaha and lastly the U.S. Postal Service. He enjoyed golfing and playing horseshoes and won many competitions in both. He was a lifelong member of the American Legion. Professionally, Bill might be best known as the northeast Rochester mail carrier whose dog Bainbridge drove the vehicle.

He is survived by his wife, Wailana; sons, David (Kelle Schone) of Davenport, Iowa, and Dan (Kelly Yusten) of Mazeppa, Minn.; daughter, Carmen (Norm Lemay) of Minneapolis; grandchildren, Jessica and Christopher Barker, A.J. Yusten (Nikki  Bromelkamp) and Adrien and Madeleine Lemay; three great-grandchildren; and his sister, Carla Succio (Chuck Peterson) of Rochester,

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Robert Barker. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Christ United Methodist Church, the Lime Springs Cemetery Fund or Eagles Cancer Telethon.