Carl William Barger

Carl William Barger was born on November 23, 1932, in the “country,” Rhea County, Tennessee. From a young age, Carl exhibited a passion for work, pulling a small wagon to deliver milk and later having a paper route. His work effort carried over to sports as he entered high school, where he excelled in football and basketball, lettering multiple seasons. As a teenager, his family moved to town in Dayton, on “the hill,” not far from his high school.

Carl shared many stories of his childhood with his family, but two are their favorites. His father worked for the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Dayton and drove a delivery truck with running boards. Each day his father would drive near the school on the way home for lunch, and Carl, his brother Raymond, and some friends would hitch a ride up the hill on the running boards to eat lunch at their own homes. Carl said his father only slowed, never stopping, so they had to jump on the moving truck. After lunch and a brief nap for his father, they would reverse the trip. The second story is related to the agricultural calendar in Dayton, where strawberries were a large cash crop at that time. Some of you will know that Dayton to this day has an annual Strawberry Festival. Carl said they always got out of school the first of May so they could help pick strawberries, and he was very proud to earn enough before Mother’s Day to buy his own mother a gift each year.

He graduated from Rhea Central High School on May 1, 1950, after several schools recruited him to play collegiate football. He settled on Marshall College in Huntingdon, West Virginia, The Thundering Herd. Before leaving for college, he attended an United Methodist Youth Conference in Cleveland, Tennessee, where a spirited, rising high-school sophomore caught his eye. He was nominated to a district office, and when he rose to decline the nomination because of his college plans, he turned and winked at this vivacious young lady, Doris Eleanor Sharp, who went home that night and wrote in her diary she had met the man she was going to marry. A three-year, long-distance courtship ensued, and they were married on June 14, 1953 (just weeks after Doris graduated from high school), then lived in Huntingdon while Carl finished college.

Carl played four seasons for Marshall on both sides of the ball as an offensive guard and defensive end, and he also entered the Marine Reserves officer training program and spent six-weeks at Paris Island as part of his training one summer. During summers in Huntingdon, he often worked two jobs, a lifeguard during the day and hotel desk clerk at night. With the rigors of sports and married life, Carl needed an extra semester to complete his academic requirements, and he received an honorable discharge from the Marines as they were scaling down post-Korea. During the fall of 1954, Carl completed his studies and served as a coach on the Marshall College football team with primary responsibility for the freshmen team.

In 1955, Carl continued his studies at the University of Tennessee and earned a Master’s of Science in Physical Education in 1956. He and Doris also served as house parents for a local boy’s home while in Knoxville. After graduation, Carl received his draft notice and entered the U.S. Army in May 1956, settling at Fort Stuart, Georgia, where he managed the gymnasium, started and coached the base football team, hunted, and fished. He received his discharge in March 1958 after receiving credit for his reserve duty and welcomed the arrival of his first child, a daughter, Vicki Lynn, on April 19. In the fall of 1958, he began a brief career as a teacher and coach, first at Copper Basin High School in the southeast corner of Tennessee and then at Soddy Daisy High School. While in Soddy Daisy, he developed a friendship with a gentleman who owned a men’s clothing store and started working for him part time. This relationship led to him acquiring East Ridge Men’s Store in 1960. Doris and Carl moved to East Ridge and began attending Jones Memorial United Methodist Church. A few years later, Carl’s brother-in-law Bobby Swafford joined him as his business partner, where they worked together until Bob’s retirement and Carl became sole owner. During the economic turmoil of the early 1970s, Carl and Bob added uniforms to their offerings and later bought a second store in Knoxville. Around this time, they dedicated the business to uniforms solely and changed the name to East Ridge Uniforms, which it remained until Carl sold the business in 2002. He remained active until his full retirement in 2004.

Carl relished life and enjoyed traveling with friends and family, with many trips centered around his passion for fishing. He visited 49 of the states, most in their motorhome, and only missed North Dakota. In addition to fishing, he enjoyed hiking in the Smokies, reading, UT Women’s basketball, jigsaw puzzles, word searches, and smoking his pipe. His family will always have fond memories of Carl sitting on the porch of their beloved Riverhouse or in his chair in the garage peacefully enjoying a good tobacco. He was a gentle man, respected and loved by all who knew him, and most thought of him as quiet. But, he was animated and alive when telling a good story, of which he had a lifetime to share.

He left us to be with the Lord early on the morning of May 12, 2021. Doris, his beloved wife of almost 68 years, was at his side. His parents, Wesley and Lula Barger; his brother, Raymond Barger; sister-in-law, Barbara Sharp Whitehead; and his brother-in-law and business partner, Bobby Swafford (Shirley), preceded him in death.

Carl leaves to cherish his memoires: his wife, Doris Sharp Barger; a daughter, Vicki Barger Taylor (JR), of Hixson; a son, Keith Carl Barger (Alison), of Memphis; a sister, Shirley Barger Swafford, of Maryville; four grandchildren, Brian Taylor and Angie Taylor Hawkins (Chris), both of Hixson, John Martin Barger and William Barger, both of Memphis; two great-grandchildren, Conner Hawkins and Kyndal Hawkins, both of Hixson; a brother-in-law, Frederick (Freddy) Sharp of Houston, Texas; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family wishes to thank the dedicated caregivers who helped in his last months, particularly Autumn, Kayla, Kim, Peyton, Shana, and Susan.

Visitation will be held on May 19, 2021, at noon, Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, 4131 Ringgold Road, East Ridge, TN. A Celebration of Life Service will follow at 1:00 pm. Burial will be at the Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, TN. As per the guidelines of the United Methodist Church masks will be required while in the building.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, https://www.jonesmemorial.com.

Arrangements are under the care of Chattanooga Funeral Home Crematory and Florist East Chapel, 404 South Moore Rd. East Ridge, TN 37412.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)