Wilfred Barber

He was born June 30, 1938, in Grayling, Michigan, a son of the late George and Evelyn (Rood) Barber. He was raised in Big Bay and was a 1956 graduate of Graveraet High School.

In his youth, Willy worked as a lifeguard at Perkins Park and as a lumberjack. He then took a position at the Cliff Dow Chemical Company before beginning his career at the US Postal Service as a clerk in 1965. After 30 years of service, he retired in 1995.

Willy had served in the National Guard earning the rank of Staff Sergeant. He enjoyed painting (most notably, he painted a refrigerator magnet of the Marquette Light House that was prominently displayed on the set of “Home Improvement”), the outdoors, hunting, fishing, jigsaw puzzles, berry picking, collectibles, history, and spending time at the family camp at Halfway Location. He was also featured in a documentary about “Anatomy of a Murder”, where he provided first-hand knowledge of the events and the real-life victim.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Janice R. (Benson) Barber of Marquette; children, Wendy (Jeff) Barber-Kallery of Marquette, Brynne (Gary) Yahr of Shelby Twp., MI, Stacy (David) Brown of Marquette, Kristen (Kirk) Matthews of Marquette, Mark (Samantha) Barber of Marquette and Darrell Barber of Marquette; grandchildren, Dylan (Tamika), Brenden, Evan, Melanie (Nick), Ryan (Emily), Angela (Dylan), Alex, Kelsey, Mikayla (John), Marlee, Catherine, Conner, Kyle, Callie, and Lydia; great-grandchildren, Simon, Elaya, Harrison, and Felix; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Harold, Joyce, Patsy, Orville, Sheila, and Sharon, and infant granddaughter, Allison.

A Celebration of Willy’s Life will be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, from 4 to 6 pm at Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral and Cremation Services. A time of sharing and remembrance will begin at 6 pm in the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to UPAWS or the Trillium House.

Memories of Willy may be shared at fassbenderswansonhansen.com.