https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/heraldcourier/name/dale-barker-obituary?id=51980717 Dale W. Barker passed away at his home in Bristol, Tennessee, on May 13, 2023, in the care of his family. He was preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Elaine Pedrick Barker in 2007; his sister, Dorothy Gehring; and brother, Ronald Barker. He is survived by his daughters, Nancy Lynne Barker Whitesides and her husband, William E., of Bristol, Tennessee, and Joyce Elaine Barker Backus and her husband, Ronald E., of Durham, North Carolina; his sister, Maxine Durasinski of Ralston, Nebraska; his grandchildren, BellaJane Ellen Pedrick Whitesides, EmmaLynne Martha Wescoat Whitesides, StellieMay Lynne Barker Whitesides, of Bristol, Tenn., Michelle Elaine VanBergen and her husband, Noah T., of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Linda Christine Backus of Washington, D.C.; great-granddaughter, Poppy Elaine VanBergen; and several nieces and nephews. Dale was born to Myron and Esther Barker in 1930 on a farm in Polk County, Nebraska near the town of Silver Creek. The eldest of four children, he attended the local schools and contributed to daily farm chores. He graduated from Silver Creek High School in 1947 and attended a small local college and the University of Nebraska before enlisting in the Army. From 1952 to 1954, he served in Korea, Okinawa and other locations learning electric motor and radio repair and maintenance, skills and knowledge he developed and built upon for the rest of his career in integrated circuits. Returning from the Army, he finished his bachelor's degree in engineering at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. His first employer, the Radio Corporation of America, or RCA, was in Camden, New Jersey. There he met and married Elaine Pedrick on July 3, 1959 at Kemble Memorial United Methodist Church in her hometown of Woodbury, New Jersey. They headed west to Northridge, California where they lived until 1974 moving to Somerville, New Jersey from 1974 to 1991. Following another engineering position, they returned to the same area of California for five years before retiring to Bristol, Tennessee in 1996. Dale spent over 20 years at his churches volunteering as sound engineer for church services, events, weddings, funerals and making copies for shut-ins. Dale was a licensed amateur "extra" class radio operator for 70 years, his final call sign KT4SQ now a Silent Key. At each of his homes, he erected a large three sided metal tower to support the tall antenna required to talk to other amateurs all over the US and abroad. He kept in touch with some fellow amateurs for decades, his ham radio community. In 2015, the Bristol Amateurs' Radio Club named him "Amateur of the Year" for outstanding service and also becoming a life time member of BARC (Bristol Amateur Radio Club). Dale loved to travel and take photos of the places he went. Family vacations involved camping all across the U.S. and into Canada. Throughout his life and even in his last weeks one of his pastimes was trying, and often succeeding, at beating his granddaughters at cribbage or dominoes. He had a quiet, thoughtful nature and a dry sense of humor. At home with caregivers, he caught his image in the mirror and quipped to the caregiver, "Yep, I'm still here." His family and friends will miss his sense of humor and his appreciation for the present. Condolences, memories and stories of Dale may be sent to his family by email, RememberingDaleBarker@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you and we give thanks to God for his wonderful life. A Memorial Service will be held in the chapel of First Presbyterian Church, 701 Florida Ave., Bristol, TN 37620, casual and dress attire welcome, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 31, 2023, with a reception to follow in the fellowship hall. Dale is in the care of Oakley-Cook of Bristol Tennessee.
