James Rhodes Barker

Barker, James Rhodes, 83, of Warren, RI, died suddenly at home on March 20th. He leaves his wife of 55 years, Elizabeth (Bevan) and two sons; Robert of Seekonk, MA and John of Warren, RI and his wife, Sarah (Lundin) and two granddaughters, Lily and Julia. Born on August 13, 1929 in Taunton, MA to Anson and Millicent Ringsdorf Barker, Jim, along with his late brother Charles, grew up living at The Storm King School in Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY, where their father was Headmaster. They spent summers in Peters Point (Assonet) and Mattapoisett, MA developing a great love of sailing and being active on the water. After graduation from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, Jim entered Amherst College in 1947 following in the footsteps of his father and brother. His time in college was interrupted by the Korean War and he spent 2 years in the Marine Corps before returning to Amherst, graduating in 1953. After Amherst, Jim worked for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution aboard its research vessel “Atlantis” traveling the Atlantic from the Azores to ports in Africa and South America. While Jim majored in Biology at Amherst, he became an Engineer and spent 36 years at Metals and Controls/Texas Instruments in Attleboro, MA, retiring in 1990. From 1961 through his retirement, Seekonk, MA was home to Jim and his family. He was active in the community, serving on the Town's Charter Commission, as a Representative Town Meeting Member, and as the Treasurer of the Seekonk Land Conservation Trust from 1967 to 1993 when he and Elizabeth moved to Beverly Hills, FL. They returned to New England in 2007 taking up residence in Warren to be near their sons and grandchildren. Jim's love of boats was encouraged by his grandfather and father; much of his time as a teen and well into his late twenties was spent sailing and racing in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. While he owned many boats over the years, the Herreshoff 12-1/2 footer was always his abiding love. He taught both his sons to sail in the beloved “Natrix”. He was a longtime member of the Bristol Yacht Club serving as Club Secretary during the 1960's/70's. Donations in his name to the Herreshoff Marine Museum in support of the David MacLeod Grose Junior Sailing Program would have pleased him. (David MacLeod Junior Sailing Program) Arrangements entrusted to the J.H. Williams & Co. funeral home, 210 Taunton Ave., East Providence. Funeral services are private.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James Rhodes Barker, please visit our floral store.