Mr. John T. Barber, 88, of Bermuda Run passed away Saturday, February 8, 2014 at his home.  He was born May 20, 1925 in Statesville, NC, the son of Thomas C. and Evelyn Henley Barber. He was preceded in death by his parents and his identical twin brother, Worth Henley Barber. He was raised in Winston-Salem, a graduate of R. J. Reynolds High School, class of 43.

 

John and his twin brother after graduation volunteered for the Army Air Cadet Program in September 1943 during WW II. They attended Capital University in Columbus, Ohio as part of their cadet training. They served in Italy with the 461^st Bomb Group, 767^th squadron (John) 765^th squadron (Worth) completing 20 missions in the European War Zone.  They were awarded the Air Medal with two clusters and a number of operation ribbons for the European Theatre.

 

John and his brother were discharged from WW II service in October 1945. They were in the first class of veterans to enter N.C. State University under the G.I. Bill of Rights. John earned a B.S. degree in Textile Manufacturing. In 1946 he met the love of his life, Hazelanne Adams of Carthage, NC and they were married in December 1948. He was a member of the Thompkins Textile Society and the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He and Worth were N.C. State cheerleaders for three years. They both received commissions through NC State’s ROTC program upon graduation.

 

John was a planning manager with Erwin Mills and Burlington Industries where he spent nearly 20 years in Cooleemee, N.C. He was an active member of the Cooleemee Methodist Church, serving in various positions such as chairman of the Administrative Board, and Board of Trustees.

 

In 1950, serving as infantry officers in the US Army Reserve, John and his brother were called back to active duty during the Korean conflict. He served with the 2^nd Infantry, 38^th Regiment as an Air Observation Officer covering combat patrols and calling in artillery and 4.2 mortars. It is here that his brother was killed on Christmas Eve while leading a patrol.  John returned to his textile career in April, 1952. He was a past commander of the Cooleemee American Legion Post 54. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for over 60 years.

 

In 1970, John was named the first county manager for Davie County. After 3 years, he accepted the manager’s position in Iredell County. Wilkes County contacted him next and he accepted their offer to be the first Wilkes County manager where he stayed for ten years. While in Wilkes County the Governor appointed him to the North Carolina Board on the “Status of Women”. In 1986, he returned to Davie County and retired as county manager in 1990. John was a past president and life member of the N.C. City and County Management Association, serving as president when the International City and County Manager’s association met in Charlotte, NC. In addition, he was an honorary co-chairman of the Mebane Challenge, a successful effort to raise 1.5 million dollars for technology for Davie County Schools.

 

Following retirement, John continued as a dedicated public servant and gave unselfishly of his time and talents. He became a charter member of Pilot View RC&D where he served as treasurer to the executive board. He served as chairman of United Way in Davie in 1996/97, chairman of the board of trustees of the Davie County Public Library, past vice-chairman of YVEDDI where he served as a chairman of the finance committee and also the personnel committee, co-chaired the renovation of the Brock Performing Art Center, past member of Mocksville Rotary Club where he was an assistant to the treasurer, and past member of the board of directors of the Davie Chamber of Commerce.

 

John has received many awards for his service including Order of the Longleaf Pine 2005 (NC’s highest honor for service and dedication) and the E.C. Tatum Humanitarian Award (2002).

 

He is survived by his wife, Hazelanne Adams Barber married for 65 years, a son Richard Adams Barber (Jane) Washington, NC, a daughter, Anne Barber White (Ken) Advance, NC, six grandchildren, Ashley Barber Gaylord (Bonner), Shelby Barber Thompson (Andrew), John Austin McCarthy (Katie),  Shauna White Miller (Jason), Amanda White Landen (John), Rachel White Potts (Daniel), great-grandchildren, Gigi, Metri, and Mont Gaylord, Grace, Emmalee, and David Miller, Adeline Landen, and Noah Potts.

 

The family will be eternally grateful to the staff of Davie County Hospice and special caregivers; Hannah, Rachel, Soccorro, and Melanie. A military graveside service will be held at 11:00 AM Tuesday at Forsyth Memorial Park with the VFW District 11 Memorial Honor Guard. A Celebration of Life Service will be conducted at 2:00 PM Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at Hayworth-Miller Kinderton Chapel by Rev. Jerry Webb. The family will receive friends from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Monday at the funeral home.

 

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that donations be made to the Davie County Hospice, Cooleemee Methodist Church or the John and Hazelanne Scholarship Fund at the Davie County Foundation, Mocksville, NC.  Online condolences may be made to www.hayworth-miller.com