Mae Barker Obituary

In Loving Memory: Mae Eupha Barker (1934-2022)

Mae Eupha Barker, 88, of Pleasant Hill, IA, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on November 14th, 2022.

Born on September 26th, 1934, in Putnam County, MO, Mae was the daughter of Jesse and Eupha Murray and the beloved sister to twelve siblings.

Mae spent her spirited childhood in northern Missouri and southern Iowa. She loved attending her one-room schoolhouse in Harvard, IA and seldom missed a Sunday or Wednesday evening church service. Mae was a hard worker and took pride in her chores, odd jobs, school work and spelling bees while also finding time for youthful mischief roaming the small towns of Harvard and Warsaw with her brothers and sisters.

After graduating from Allerton High School in 1953, Mae moved to Des Moines, IA. There she met her future husband, James William Barker, Sr., while working as a carhop at an A&W Root Beer stand. They married in December of 1955 and went on to raise three children, Jim Jr., Teri and Jeffrey, sharing a life filled with family adventures, enjoying being outdoors, afternoon BBQs, nights of board games with family and friends or quiet nights putting a puzzle together. She loved the yearly Murray family reunions. Mae carried a special place in her heart for the family she married into. She was also a proud and caring grandparent.

Mae and Jim lived in Ft. Worth, TX and Los Angeles, CA where Mae worked at Capitol Records and the Whittaker Corporation. In 1976, they returned to Des Moines where Mae explored various jobs until she found the job she loved at the Iowa State Department of Employee Services, retiring in 2000. Interested in family history, Mae researched her family genealogy, preserving her findings for future generations.

Mae lived in her family home until 2020 when she moved in with her daughter Teri and son-in-law Charles in Truro, IA and, later, Grove, OK.

She is preceded in death by husband James Barker, Sr., brothers Jesse (Betty), William (Pauline), John (Mary), Gene (Margaret), and James (Betty) Murray, sisters Mina (Tommy) Trumper and Waneta (Paul) Rager, and parents Jesse and Eupha Murray.

She is survived by her children: James Barker, Jr., (Pat Yadon), Teri (Charles) Webb, and Jeffrey (Alisa) Barker; brothers Theodore (Elaine) and Tommy (Pat) Murray; sisters Betty (Charles) Eagle, Mary (Jerry) Brown, and Barbara (Wayne) Baldus; grandchildren Jackson, Harrison, and Stella Barker, Tana (Akshay) Thomson-Navle and Joshua Dare, Ashley Yadon, and Amy Fischer; and great-grandchildren Oakes, Isla, and Maya Navle, Alyson, Kaylee and Brantley Fischer, and Adlee Gaylor.

Mae will be remembered for her sharp wit, adventurous spirit, fierce loyalty, and unwavering love for her family. She will be deeply missed, and her memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.

Memorial services for Mae will be on Saturday, May 27, at Iles Grandview Park Funeral Home (3211 Hubbell Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317). Family will be greeting guests from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. words of remembrance from family.

Livestream can be found here https://youtube.com/live/2nyid2ajD_4?feature=share or at the bottom of this page

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