James David Barker, of Jasper, passed away on Friday, May 6, 2022 at Haven Hospice in Lake City, FL. at the age of 83.

David was a longtime resident of Hamilton County. He was born in North Carolina on December 12, 1938 to the late C.D. and Edna Bailey Barker. His parents moved David and his three sisters to Jasper in the early 40's and he rapidly developed friendships that would last a lifetime. Many stories abound of his childhood and teenage years but he survived them all with a decent reputation intact in spite of the antics of teenage boys. He graduated from Jasper High School and took a passing glance at college but decided Jasper was where he would plant his feet. He was lucky enough to snag the attention of one of Jasper's beauties named Marsha Braswell and in 1970 he made her his bride. Sons Doug and Jake soon followed and as is every father's dream, David was able to share his love of hunting and raising pups into some fine deer hunting dogs with them. The two boys fondly remember going to the woods with dad hunting and spending time at the deer camp hanging out with the guys. In keeping with all things boy, David bought a boat and taught his sons how to fish. He enjoyed both fresh water and salt-water fishing. One of his last big trips was a fishing excursion to Alaska with a group of childhood friends. Possibly, more probably, one of the lesser loved activities he taught his two sons was to mow that great big beautiful lawn in front of the house until one fateful day a mower was lost in the pond. They laughingly recall, that the nice big new riding lawn mower didn't come along until after they left home. David was always a hard worker. He owned and operated Jasper Laundry and Dry Cleaners for many years, giving residents of Jasper the benefit of keeping their dry-cleaning business local.  He was active in the community and served as a board member on the Hamilton County School Board for 12 years and also served until recent years as a board member at Suwannee Valley Nursing Center. He and his wife Marsha, who taught school much of their marriage, enjoyed spending time with the many friends they met along the way. They enjoyed attending as well as hosting dinner parties and traveling to the mountains throughout the years with those friends and their families. David had a unique dry sense of humor and could catch one off guard with a comment just as you walked out of the door at the laundry and then that grin of his would appear and you would know he got you once more. This humor was not lost on the golf course either. For many years, he reserved time to go out and play a round of golf with the guys and of course included lots of "words of wisdom???" passing amongst the foursome. Time for nonsense was over and the humor disappeared with the arrival of college football season. For David, there was not really any other team playing but the Georgia Bulldogs. Have mercy for the friends pulling for Alabama or Florida. David was a member of the First Baptist Church in Jasper for most of his life but was adopted into and became an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Jasper when he married and he remained an active member and supporter until his health began to fail. David was preceded in death by his parents and his two sisters, Sara Ann and Linda.

Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Marsha Braswell Barker; his two sons, Doug Barker (Amy) of Jasper, FL. and Jake Barker (Alicia Selph) of Palatka, FL.; his only surviving sister, Rebecca Houghton (Eric); and six grandchildren.

Memorial services were held on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at the First Presbyterian Church in Jasper, FL.

Memorial contributions may be made to Haven Hospice, 6037 West U.S. Highway 90, Lake City, FL. 32055.