Edward Eugene Barker

Edward Barker was born April 18, 1932 in Denver, Colorado, and passed away on June 20, 2022 at Lutheran Health Care’s Collier Hospice Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. He was 90 years old. He was the only child born to Mina Jean Kenney Barker. His father, Eugene Barker, passed away during Edward’s mother’s pregnancy, so Ed never had a father figure in his life. His mother was a barmaid and they lived in hotels in downtown Denver. Ed did not have a normal childhood as most of us enjoyed. It must have been difficult for a young woman to raise a child during the depression years of the 1930’s and the war years that followed. Ed had a difficult time in school remembering his homework that he studied so hard for. As we all learned years later, women should not drink alcohol or smoke during pregnancy. Being a barmaid, his mother did both. Ed felt this was the reason why he had trouble remembering school assignments and this memory problem followed him throughout his life. He left school early and went to work doing various jobs until he went into the service.

Ed wanted to join the Navy but at that time the Navy was not accepting new applicants. So he joined the Colorado Air National Guard and then went into the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed at an Advance Warning Radar Site near Kansas City, Missouri. He did not like the climate there (or the bugs). When the Korean Conflict ended, he chose to leave the service, but he often said that if he could have been stationed in a much more enjoyable climate, he might have stayed in the service longer.

A few years after returning from military service, he took a job with Paramount Press in Arvada as a delivery man. With on-the-job training, he worked his way up to being a printing press operator, first on a letter press then an offset press. He worked at Paramount for 50 years. He retired in about 2008. Paramount Press, and Ed in particular, printed the election ballots for Jefferson County precincts for several years. He also worked some part-time jobs to help support the family when his children were young. His family enjoyed camping with neighbors and friends.

Ed was a long-time member of the Mile Hi Chapter of the Beer Can Collectors of America and had a nice collection of beer cans. He also enjoyed collecting various beer-related items. At the time of his death, he still had his collection of beer steins. During retirement, he collected lottery scratch tickets and cancelled postage stamps (both of which took up a lot less space than beer cans). He was also a member of the Colorado Chapter of the Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collector’s Club.

In his early retirement years, Ed had back surgery which did not solve his back problems. He dealt with back pain the rest of his life. After turning 90 in April, Ed had four “major” falls, three of which took him to the ER at St. Anthony’s Hospital. The last fall resulted in a broken clavicle and broken ribs. He never recovered from this fall. He had developed pneumonia. He spent the last few days of his life at the Collier Hospice Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

A few years after returning from his military service Ed married Loralynn Withey. Together they had one child, Sheri Lynn Lishner Welsh. He also adopted Rickey Lee Withey. Ed was preceded in death by Loralynn, both children (Rickey and Sheri) and his mother. He is survived by his current wife (Esther Barker of Lakewood, Colorado), two grandchildren (Bryan Lishner of Phoenix, Arizona, and Kristie Cottman of Prescott Valley, Arizona), one great grandchild (Mason Lishner), and two stepchildren (Pamela Fischer and David Fischer of Portland, Oregon).

Ed will be buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery and, per his request, there not be a service.

Contributions can be made to the Collier Hospice Center, 3210 Lutheran Parkway, Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033 in Edward Barker’s memory.