George Barber

George Herbert Barber Jr. was born October 22, 1925 in Granite Falls. He passed away Tuesday August 20, 2013 at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis. George was baptized at the First Baptist Church in Granite Falls. In October 1943, at the age of 17, he left school as a high school senior and joined the U. S. Navy. He was stationed at Farragut, ID, and served on the USS CAPE Esperance CVE-88 as a gunner mate. He was honorably discharged in April of 1946. On June 22 of that year, he and May Nordang were married in Granite Falls. George had various jobs including farming after he and May were married, the Granite Falls Creamery, Yellow Medicine County Hwy Department, Rodger's Hydraulics as a welder and bottling milk at Sebring Dairy. He was also self employed as an accomplished sign painter, engraving and blade sharpening while working at Parker Hannifin in Granite Falls for twenty years as a machinist. George and May loved spending time with their family, camping, and trips to places like Alaska and Norway. He especially enjoyed playing the harmonica and feeding the ducks by the dam in Granite Falls with his grand children and great grandchildren. They enjoyed country living until retirement after which they moved to River View Apartments in Granite Falls before later moving to assisted living as their health began to fail.George is survived by his daughters: Christy (Jace) VonOlnhausen of Pine Haven, WY; Jo Ellen (Roger) Tweeter of Montevideo, and Elaine (Merlin) Jeseritz of Shakopee; sons: Dan (Gail) Barber of Alexandria, Jon (Brenda) Barber of Blomkest, Ronnie (Pam) Barber of Hermon, ME and Barry (Julie) Barber of Shakopee; 17 grandchildren; 25 great grandchildren. In addition to his parents, George was preceded in death by his wife May in 2011, and 4 brothers: Raymond, Harold, Albert and Lloyd.