Larry Barr

Larry Dean Barr, age 88 years of Niles, Michigan; father, grandfather, brother, fisherman, music collector, and Detroit Tigers fan died peacefully at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 18, 2024 in West Woods of Niles following a brief illness. His family is grateful for the kind and compassionate care offered by the staff of West Woods and Caring Circle Hospice.

He was born on May 12, 1936 in Mishawaka, Indiana to Charles A. and Blanche L. (Hinkson) Barr, and attended Edwardsburg, Michigan schools where he played Varsity Football. He was employed at the former Benton Harbor, Michigan plant of Clark Equipment Company for twenty-five years, and in retirement, was employed at Martin’s Grocery Store where he enjoyed face-to-face service to the customers. He has lived in Niles since 1958.

Larry was a man of strong Christian faith, and loved Jesus. He enjoyed fishing on Eagle Lake in Edwardsburg, and was a great fan of the Detroit Tigers baseball team and the Detroit Lions football team, even attending a few Tigers games in-person. He also enjoyed traveling, usually to Arizona to visit family, and always driving all the way. He was a regular guest and player at the area casinos, especially the Four Winds in Dowagiac where he had been a bit successful.

Music was an important part of his life, always listening to easy-listening music and Christian selections, beginning with the vinyl “LP”s, and then joining the technology upgrade to cassette tapes. He recorded favorite music from the radio, and transferred some of his LPs to cassette, still listening to his cassette collection while at West Woods.

On February 14, 1958 at the former Grace United Methodist Church in Niles he married the former Janet M. Carpenter with whom he celebrated the remarkable Sixty-second anniversary of their wedding prior to Janet’s death on April 20, 2020. He was sadly preceded in death by a grandson, Gary A. Butler in 2023; by his parents, Charles and Blanche Barr; and by his siblings, Donald, Wayne, Doris, and Shirley.

Surviving family includes his daughters, Melody (& Wil) Kurty and Lisa (& Gary) Butler, both of Niles; grandchildren, Daniel (& Amber) Dykema, Derek Dykema, David (& Brittany) Dykema, Bradley (& Krystal) Oswald, Amanda (& Lucius) Nowling, Nichole Butler, Shannon (& Tony) Korolis, and Michael (& Michelle) Bowers; great-grandchildren, Avery, Devon, Jax, Lola, Sloane, Vera, Isom, Laytin Taylin, Ariana, Rorian, Anthony, Bryce, Kyra, and Matthew; and Larry’s sister, Joyce Neimyer, and many nieces and nephews.

The funeral service for Larry Barr will be at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles, with Pastor Jeffrey Whittaker of Michiana Christian Embassy officiating. Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles. The family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, at the funeral home, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Online memories and condolences may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

Larry’s eighty-eight years were a wonderful life of contributing to his community as a faithful employee, enjoying the solitary peace of fishing and managing his music, and getting caught-up in the fun of baseball games and the casino. But the most wonderful part of his life was the people around him at work, and the ball games and the casino, and most of all, his kids and grandkids, and Janet.