John D. Barker

John “Johnny” Derrell Barker was born on December 8,1929 in Rotan, Texas to Fisher County Commissioner William Lloyd (WL) Barker and Vera Hodo Barker. He graduated from Rotan High School in 1948, where he met the love of his life, Betty Joyce Hammit. 

Soon after graduating, Johnny joined the Army. He trained and served active duty for one year in the 17th Armored Engineers Battalion of the 2nd Armored Division. After being released from active-duty service, he married his high school sweetheart Betty on April 15, 1950. 

Only months later in October 1950, Johnny was recalled to active service, after North Korea invaded South Korea. He was attached to the 444th Ordnance Ammunition Company of the Japanese Logistical Command, and he served at a variety of posts in the Sendai and Kure areas of Japan. His primary posting was at Akazuki Ammunition Depot where he oversaw the transportation of ordnance to Korea from storage in former World War II Japanese bunkers. While he was overseas, he earned a certificate in law enforcement from a military school. 

A few months after he was deployed to Japan, he became a father, when his first daughter Patricia was born. After a year of active service in Korea, he was discharged honorably and returned home to Texas. In 1955, he and Betty welcomed their second daughter Vickie. 

Johnny worked Texaco for many years, after a brief flirtation with working law enforcement. He worked for Texaco first as a contract employee in a seismograph exploration crew before being hired on permanent basis. For most of his career his worked involved the fractional distillation of gases from crude oil. John began his career in Snyder and later worked in various Lamesa-area plants including Snyder, Lamesa, and East Vealmoor. He retired from Texaco in 1988. Johnny was a faithful member for the Northside Baptist Church in Lamesa for several years. 

In his retirement, Johnny and Betty enjoyed taking trips and regularly seeing live country music. For several years, he, Betty, and Vickie made a near-annual pilgrimage to Branson, Missouri to see the stage shows. He also was an avid fan of Texas Tech sports. Johnny was very active in daughters’ and grandchildren’s lives, and also enjoyed talking to friends and family on the phone. 

Johnny had a well-developed sense of mischief and silliness, encouraging the petty theft of watermelons from a friend’s farms, whittling rubber band guns for his grandchildren, and collecting a variety of fireworks that he would set off with his grandchildren out on dusty Dawson County farm roads. On those same roads, he also taught his grandchildren how to drive in his pickup when they were far too young. 

After a long illness, Johnny passed away on Wednesday, November 27 at Covenant Hospital in Lubbock. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Oran Barker and Wilba Moore. He is survived by his daughters, Vickie Barker of Lamesa and Pat Dennis of Lubbock, Pat’s husband Don, and his grandchildren, Michael and Kaitlyn Dennis, nephews, Jerry Barker and Don Terrell as well as many cousins and extended family members. 

Funeral services will be 2:00 PM Monday, December 2, 2024 at the Weathersbee-Ray Funeral Home Chapel in Rotan, Texas with burial to follow in Belvieu Cemetery. Visitation will start at 1:00 PM before the service.