We are saddened to share the news that David Barker, a beloved parishioner of Corpus Christi, unexpectedly passed away on June 4 at the age of 53 from a head on collision with a drunk driver. Dave is survived by his wife Charleen, his daughters Samantha and Victoria, and his son Hayden.
Dave, a computer engineer born in Gary, Indiana, on November 3, 1968, is the son of Jon Barker and Kristine (Burroughs) Weldin. He attended Jackson Elementary, Gateway Middle School and Maumee High School in Maumee, Ohio. On a football scholarship, he played as quarterback for West Georgia University’s football team before suffering a career ending injury. He then moved back to Ohio to continue his education at Toledo University. Dave worked as a computer network engineer and instructor at Training Concepts for many years before moving to work at the South Carolina General Assembly last June.
He welcomed his first daughter, Victoria Barker, on March 26, 1997. On June 16, 2001, he married the love of his life, Charleen (Flory) Barker. Together they welcomed Samantha Barker on July 20, 2003, and Hayden Barker on December 5, 2005.
Dave was a devoted father, always encouraging his children to do well academically while never missing his son’s baseball games or his daughter’s cross country/track meets. Dave was a sports fanatic and loved football, basketball and baseball. He enjoyed watching his favorite teams, the South Carolina Gamecocks and Miami Dolphins, play football every weekend while barbequing with his neighbors. He loved road trips to the beach and mountains, most recently taking his youngest daughter to Utah for her first year of college. He was also an avid reader; his favorite books being the Dune series. He was a devout Catholic active in the Parish life with his family.
He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and all who knew him.
A funeral service is scheduled for 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. If you cannot attend the funeral service, the Mass will be broadcasted live through the Parish website. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to the David Barker Athletic Scholarship Fund (for now they are only accepting checks payable to Gator Nation, and in the memo please include “David Barker Athletic Scholarship”), or Hayden Barker Future Scholars College Fund (payable to @Charleen-Barker via Venmo).
Let us pray for the repose of Dave’s soul, that the Lord may receive him in His eternal Kingdom, and provide His divine strength, comfort and peace to his loving wife Charleen, their family and all who mourn his passing.
“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of your faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”
