Obituary of Bill Barr

William Francis Barr was born April 27, 1937, in Sparta, Missouri to William Lee and Mable (Moses) Barr.  He was the oldest of 6 children.  Bill attended Sparta, Ava schools and then graduated from Chadwick High School in 1957.

After high school, he worked with his uncle Fred on the dairy farm for several years.  Then he married Neva Nelson and to their union they had 4 children, twins Johnny and Betty, Patty and then Jimmy.  The family then moved to northern Missouri, and he worked for Clarinda Salvage, driving the route truck for welding supplies for many years.  He then went to work for Schilberg construction, retiring from there after over 30 years of service.

Neva and Bill later divorced, and later he remarried Jan (Ward) Blank in 1984, and she brought two stepsons, Brice and Brian, to their union.

Bill enjoyed fishing, playing cards, being with the grandchildren and lots of family time.  He loved to raise his tomatoes and would always plant a little garden and patiently wait for the tomatoes to get ripe, he always said store bought tomatoes didn’t taste good.

Preceding him in death were his parents; sisters, Beulah, Annie, brother Jim; brothers-in-law, Lonnie Park and Jerry Ussery.

Left to cherish Bill’s memory is his wife Jan of 39 years, his children, Johnny (Diane) Barr, Betty Adams (Dwayne Gaunt), Patty Westover (Curtis Adair), Jimmy (Lori) Barr, step-children, Brice (Tricia) Blank, and Brian (Penni) Blank, 16 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren; siblings, Luella (Bob) Raines, and Janie Ussery and brother-in-law Bill Lasley along with many other family members and friends.