John Barker

John Barker was born in 1926 in Surbiton, England, the youngest of four brothers. He learned to play chess from his father and learned to build and fly model airplanes from his older brothers. At the beginning of World War II, he was evacuated from the London area to the town of Spalding, about 100 miles to the north. He joined Hawker Aircraft after High School in 1942 where he worked in the drawing department to help build the Hawker Hurricane fighter plane for the Royal Air Force during World War Two. He went to night school and earned his Master’s degree in Engineering from Kingston Tech in 1950. While earning his degree, he became a Flight Test Engineer at Hawker Aircraft. John was elected into the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1954. John met the love of his life, Norah Margaret Barker at St. Andrew’s Church in Surbiton, England at Youth Fellowship and were married in 1950. With gas still being rationed after the war, John’s primary mode of transportation was his BSA Motorcycle. John took many a trip down to the seaside, with Margaret on the backseat. After three children (Elizabeth, Shelagh, and David) arrived, John owned a series on Minis which were just big enough to hold his entire family, as long as you strapped the suitcases on the outside. John continued to work for Hawker through the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was instrumental in the development of ground and flight test for the P.1127 Harrier vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) jump jet and several other Hawker fighter planes. In 1967 he took a job with Lockheed and immigrated with his family to Marietta, Georgia, USA to work on the Flight Test program for the world’s largest plane, the C-5A Galaxy. At Lockheed he worked on many aircraft testing programs including the C-141, C-130, F-117, C-5B, various UAVs, S-3, and prototypes for the F-22. John also earned his private pilot’s license and flew full-size gliders including his favorite Ka-8 at Monroe, Georgia. After retiring in 1990, John rekindled his passion for designing, building, and flying indoor and outdoor model aircraft. He and Margaret traveled extensively, taking yearly trips back to England to visit friends and family. They also loved to travel to attend indoor model airplanes contests across the Southeastern United States. John and Margaret took Thursday adventures to different spots all over Georgia including Red Top Mountain, Acworth Lake and “Honey Runs” to the North Georgia Mountains. John and Margaret were both active members of St. James Church in Marietta for over 45 years. He served for many years as Acolyte Master, was elected to several terms on the Vestry, and volunteered to help every week with the financial systems at the church office. John was always in the mood for a good cup of tea, a nice Shepard’s pie, a game of chess, or any conversations involving aircraft. One of his passions was utilizing his engineering knowledge to build things or come up with unique repair solutions. John was a teacher by nature and enjoyed passing on his wisdom through humorous stories and offers of advice. Anyone who was around him knew how much he appreciated the company of others. John was preceded in death by his loving wife, Norah Margaret Barker, who passed away just six weeks earlier on November 14, 2018. John is survived by three children, daughters, Elizabeth Barker Welch and her husband John of Dothan, AL, Shelagh Barker Glazier and husband Steve of Texas; son, David John Barker and his wife Lisa of Roswell, GA; grandchildren, Kathryn Anne Howell and her husband David, Christopher David Glazier and his fiancé Kathryn Steele, Rebecca Anne Pillow and her husband Robert, Andrew Alexander Prillaman and his wife Kim, and Andrew John Welch; great grandchildren Grady and Ryland Howell, James Pillow; and beloved English and Scottish relations. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Alzheimer’s Association, alz.org

John Barker

June 8, 1926 - December 30, 2018