He is survived by:
One daughter: Rayna Gayle of Los Angeles, California
One son: Joseph Leroy Barker and wife Judy of Denison, Texas
One granddaughter: Brandi Kane and husband John of Tyler, Texas
Two great-grandchildren: Victoria and William Wilson
Five nieces and five nephews
Numerous cousins and a host of friends whom loved him very much
He was preceded in death by his parents; his 1st wife, Marlene; his 2nd wife, Sue Barker; three brothers Herbert, Jr., Norman, and Keith Barker; and one nephew, Bruce.
After one year of high school, Dad joined the Navy when the Korean War broke out in July, 1950. He was discharged in May 1954. Ray went through boot camp in San Diego. After boot camp, he married his high school sweetheart, Marlene Gribling. Dad spent nine months at the Naval School of Music Anacosta, Washington D.C. He spent two years aboard the air craft carrier U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard C.V.A. 31, which was doing duty with Task Force 77 in the Sea of Japan. His last tour of duty was at the Naval Base in San Diego, CA. While in the Navy, Marlene gave birth to a daughter, Rayna. Dad and family returned to Los Angeles, CA and he went to work for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in the water division. She gave birth to a son in 1956. Marlene divorced dad in 1958 where she gained custody of the children, but she let Dad have his son in 1960. Marlene passed away in 1986 of heart failure.
In 1965, Dad and his son, Joe along with his parents packed up everything they owned and moved to Poteau, OK. Dad had bought a small grocery store. He helped them get set up with a lot of repairs and restocking. Folks named the store “Cottage Grocery”. Dad moved to Heavener, OK where he went to work at a coal mine. He worked in the shop as a repairman and welder. When the mine closed down seven years later, he went to work for the Department of Public Safety as a patrolman in the lake division. Dad married Sue Cron Meeh on November 23, 1975.
While working at the mine, Dad had bought a small ranch just outside of Heavener. He raised, broke and trained horses and had a herd of cattle. Dad was a patrolman at Lake Wister until the
Department wanted to move him to a larger lake in Tulsa because they were short a patrolman there. With the cattle and horses, his folks living now on the ranch and his wife’s business in Heavener, he had to say no and he quit the Department.
In speaking of Sue’s family business, it was the T&M Pharmacy and Gift Shop. If you needed to see an official in Heavener in the morning during the work week, you’d find them at the T&M having a cup of coffee. There would be the mortician, the county commissioner, the newspaper editor, the police chief, and the bank president. They started their day with a good cup of coffee and good fellowship at the T&M Pharmacy and Gift Shop.
After quitting the Department of Public Safety, Dad went to work at Heavener High School as a janitor and bus driver for a year. He bought an 18 wheeler and started driving everywhere. During the 11 years, he drove and owned three trucks. Because of health reasons of both him and his family, he had to quit trucking and help out at home. Sue’s brother Harry, the pharmacist, was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to quit working. They sold the store in 1998 and Harry passed away in May of 2000. In 2005, Sue was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Dad went to work at a grocery store in Poteau, OK and worked there for almost 11 years. He had to quit to take care of his wife. In 2013, while recovering from a stroke, Sue was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. They had to sell their ranch and move into Heavener in 2015. Sue passed away in October of 2017. Dad and Sue were married for 42 years. They never had a lot of money, but they had a lot of love for each other and their Lord.
Dad was very proud of his Indian heritage. His grandma Barker was a full blood Delaware Indian and his granddad Barker was Cherokee and English. Granddad Barker was a deputy Sheriff and great-granddad Barker was a U.S. Marshall. Dad loved to tell about their lives as lawmen. Now that Ray is gone, the stories are gone with him.
Dad survived two bouts with bladder cancer. He had PTSD from his time in the service and he suffered from COPD.
He was a member of Heavener First Baptist Church and the American Legion Post 188 for over 30 years. Dad worked hard all of his life. He gave his life to the Lord at the age of 14. He loved music and began playing the trombone at the age of 13 and played it for over 70 years. While in high school, he played first chair in the orchestra, swing band, ROTC, and first chair in the Los Angeles City Orchestra. Dad plated first chair in the ships band aboard the carrier. After he joined the First Baptist Church of Heavener, he played solos for many years.
Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m., Thursday, March 20, 2025 at the Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home Chapel in Heavener, Oklahoma with Brother Sam Dyer officiating. Burial will follow in Heavener Memorial Park under the direction of Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home of Heavener, Oklahoma.
Pallbearers will be: Hank Stripling, Donnie Killion, Pat Cogburn, Harold Sanders, Robert Swinford, and Bill Pitchford.
Honorary Pallbearers will be: John Glinski, Joey Clubb, Gary Bunney, Jim Presley, and Stephen Goodyear.
Viewing will be from Noon until 8:30 p.m., Wednesday and 9:00 a.m. until service time, Thursday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease Foundations in memory of his wife, Sue Barker.
To sign Ray’s online guestbook please visit www.dowdenrobertsfuneralhome.com.
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