IRA BARBER JR. (1921 – 1982) Part 4 of 4 In 1976, my parents moved to Florida. My dad continued to work with Poloron in Florida. They didnt stay in Florida more than a couple years as my mom was not at all happy there. So, they returned to La Porte and bought a house at Saugany Lake. It was a nice relaxed area that I think they enjoyed very much. My dad worked for Dietrich Machine driving a delivery truck. In 1982, my dad suffered a heart attack. He subsequently had bypass surgery. He was recovering and had come home, when he developed a shortness of breath. He returned to the hospital, but a blood clot caused a pulmonary embolism which killed him. This was a difficult time, of course, for all of us, but it was especially rough on my mom. She suffered some depression. So, my wife and I asked her to move in with us at our home in Warsaw, Indiana, for a while. That “while” ended up being 15 years before she too left us. But, it was a great 15 years as she and my wife got along very well, and my mom was a great help around the house. We were blessed to have her with us. My parents were both very good people. My mother was a Christian, but our family really never went to church. Whether it was a trait he had from his father or just a particular incident, my father never seemed to be interested in church. I do recall some discussion one time about the fact that the church just wanted his money. Unfortunately, “religion” in many of its connotations may have more to due with rules than with the goodness in a persons heart and the way he lives his life. My dad was a very caring and giving individual. He lived his goodness regularly without any thought to what was in it for him. I remember someone he knew who had an artificial arm. My dad, using his technical and artistic skills, made a life-like hand for the end of this mans artificial arm. This was well before the types of prosthetics that are available today. I had cousin who was born with spina bifida. As a baby he was unable to crawl due to surgeries, and my dad made a scooter that he could lay on and pull himself around. Dad also gave his time every Fourth of July to build floats for the very large parade in La Porte. Again, his craftsmanship and artistic eye were used to give something to others. My dad died on November 8, 1982. He was cremated upon his death, and my mom kept his ashes. My mother died October 10, 1998. Upon her passing she was cremated as well, and their ashes are buried together in Pine Lake Cemetery in La Porte, Indiana. Photos: 1. My dad in the early 1970s. 2. My dad and mom in the mid-1970s in Florida. 3. My dad and mom at home in Saugany Lake after returning from Florida. 4. My dad and mom in 1980. 5. My parents grave marker in Pine Lake Cemetery in La Porte.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:07:42 +0000
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