Henry Axtell Barkley

He was born in Bradford, New York on January 4, 1942 to Stanley and Esther Axtell Barkley. He was a 1961 graduate of Middlesex Valley Central School in Middlesex, NY. He was a 1982 alumnus of Corning Community College with an Associate degree in Science. Henry married Esther Clark Barkley on June 28, 1963. He worked for 36 years as a machinist and tooling engineer with Corning Incorporated in Corning, NY and Greenville, OH before retiring and moving to the Fayetteville, NC area in 1999 and to the Raleigh, NC area in 2011.

Henry was an avid golfer and golf ball hawk. Henry was into all things healthy. While living in Greenville, OH, he loved playing racquetball and exercised at the local YMCA and established Henry’s House of Health, LLP to provide supplements to his co-workers and friends. He loved going to the movies every Tuesday, walking to the grocery store, and going to the gym to work out or for some time in the sauna. He adored his grandchildren, filling them with donuts and cappuccino whenever he visited. He enjoyed traveling with his wife by motor home for over 25 years, playing cards with his wife and friends, sunbathing at the beach, campfires, and growlers of beer.

Henry is survived by his wife of 57 years, Esther Clark Barkley, sons Jamie Barkley (Susan) of Port Orange, FL; Jon Barkley (Barbara) of Canandaigua, NY; daughter Wendy Barkley Wierzbicki (Michael) of Raleigh, NC. He is survived by grandchildren Christen Cavanaugh, Sam Smith, Rebekah Holubar, Aaron Barkley, Caleb Barkley, Isaac Barkley, Elijah Barkley, Zachariah Barkley, Jaeden Axtell Barkley, Sara Barkley, Paige Barkley, Alyse Wierzbicki, Sophie Wierzbicki, and great grandsons Jackson and Logan Cavanaugh. He is also survived by his brother Kenneth Barkley of Zephyr Hills, FL, many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Henry was preceded in death by his parents Stanley and Esther Axtell Barkley, brothers Fredrick Barkley and Clyde Barkley, 8 sisters: Mildred Carr, Frances Barkley, Flora Reed, Harriett Gohr, Celia Ross, Charlotte Smith, Georgiana Kovac, and Victoria Snyder.

The family will hold a celebration of life on Sunday, January 26, 2020 from 1-3pm at Bradford Hall at Carolina Preserve, 115 Allforth Place, Cary, NC 27519.

The family will hold a second celebration in July with time and place to be determined in New York State. Burial services will be at the Bradford Cemetery in Bradford, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the International Essential Tremor Foundation (IETF) at https://www.essentialtremor.org/about-the-ietf/forms/memorial-donation/ or by mail at P.O. Box 14005; Lenexa, Kansas 66285-4005.