Clifford Barker, 90

Clifford W. Barker, 90, died April 5, 2004, at his home in Mountain Home.

A viewing was held on Saturday, April 10, at Cloverdale Funeral Home. Graveside services followed at at Terrace Lawns Memorial Gardens, Boise, under the direction of Cloverdale Funeral Home, Boise.

Cliff was born on May 22, 1913, to William and Emily Barker in Albion. He was raised and attended school in what he called Burley country. He was the youngest of six children.

He married Ada Balls on Harvest Festival Day, Sept. 6, 1937, in Nampa. The couple eventually settled in Kuna and raised their two sons, Ellis and Adrian.

Clifford was a man of many talents, his family noted. "He was a hard working man who never hesistated to get things done."

He worked many jobs in his lifetime, including working for the railroad, the City of Nampa, and Yoders produce factory, along with working the ranch, raising cattle, sheep, pigs, peacocks and other farm animals. He retired from the Kuna school district. Last year he was putting tin metal on roofs, digging water lines, and taking care of cattle and the rest of the animals at the ranch, his family noted.

"Clifford was a very kind and gentle man," his family said. "If you were in need, he would give you the shirt off his back and his last dollar in his pocket. He was a very creative master of fixing things and making due with what he had.

"He was a storyteller extraordinaire, with stories of the old days and things he'd done. And you could bet that before you left he would make sure that you didn't leave hungry, as he became a master of the creative cooking arts with a soup pot. He was a wonderful father, husband, friend, and provider."

He is survived by: his son, Adrian (Jenn) Barker of Mountain Home; his sister, Rosetta Balls of Logan, Utah, six grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

He was preceeded in death by his wife of 63 years, Ada Barker, his son, Ellis Barker, his parents William and Emily Barker, three brothers, William and Iveo Barker, and Irvin Howell, and two sisters Pearl Langley and Jeanette.