Raymond Allen Barger

Forever freedom

Love you Uncle Ray..Kim

He was in sixth grade, I was in 5th. He sat behind me, and would hit me over the head with his ruler. This occurred in Holy Mother of Consolation School. I was in love!!!! Rita Maier Ketelboeter

A gentle soul with a warm smile, even-tempered, and possessing a heart of pure gold. A quick wit who could think of funny things to say, dryly delivered, with a twinkle in his eye. A man of the earth who worked with the soil like the generations of his family who came before him, but also a man of the industrial age who could perfectly weld two pieces of steel into one. A true family man: a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and son. All of that, and more, was my Uncle Ray. As a child, I always looked up to Ray. I felt safe with him, riding along on the tractor, or in his truck, observing his work and listening to what he had to say. “Hold on to your Fruit of the Looms!” he might say, as he made a sharp turn disking a field with his tractor. He could be funny but also informative, telling you about a UW study that said cows gave more milk when subjected to easy listening music, as he played a Bobby Goldsboro album on the turntable he had in the barn. Or he might tell you how the old farmers like Granddad could determine what time of day it was, just by looking at the sun’s position in the sky. And was there a 1960s Chevrolet muscle car that Ray did not thoroughly appreciate? Thank you Uncle Ray for sharing those times with me. My memories of you are a blessing.

i may not remember him well but i do know that every time i came into the room he would greet me with a warm smile