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BARKER -- Donald Ray Barker passed away on Sunday, September 6, 2009, at his home in Albuquerque's South Valley at the age of 71. Don was born July 4, 1938 in Los Angeles, CA, to Raymond Barker and Millie Hamilton. He was preceded in death by his son Jim; his parents; brothers Tommy, Gerald, and John; and his sister Suzie. Don is survived by his wife Gayle; son Larry Barker of Mustang, OK; daughters Tina Barker, Amy Jo Sedillo, and Debra West all of Albuquerque; and sisters Linda Lovecchio and Judy O'Neil, of Stockton, CA. Don also is survived by grandchildren, April, Amy Rae, Beth, Marcee, Gregory Don, Chris, Sara, Aaron, Hailee, and Tristan; seven great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Don, known as "Big Don" to those who loved him, lived much of his life in CA and OK, but also managed a few addresses in Puget Sound, WA, Salem, OR, Prudhoe Bay, AK, and some place in TX. Don moved to Albuquerque in 1980 where he had lived for the past 29 years. Don attended schools in CA and NM and received an Automotive Mechanic certification from the Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute. He had several careers including bakery foreman at the University of California at Berkeley and owner of an automotive body repair shop in Albuquerque. Don had several passions in his life including camping and fishing, restoring automobiles, baking the world's best pumpkin pies, and helping others. September 16th was to be Don's 35th anniversary of sobriety. He was proud and happy to be a friend of Bill W. and Dr. Bob since 1974. Don remained grateful for each day he lived and for each breath he took. His credo was that the "first breath of the day was God." He had a lot of "Barkerisms" such as when life gets difficult "grab a root and growl." Or that no matter what happens in life "there are no big deals." Big Don was larger than life and he welcomed all. He never met a person who couldn't be a friend and never held back from reaching out to help others whether they were family, friends, or strangers. A memorial will be held this Sunday, September 13, 2009 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at Graves Park (820 Cutler NW) to celebrate Don's life. Please bring a story of Don to share and chairs or blankets to sit on. Don's remains will be interred at Sunset Memorial Park. To help Don's family with medical and funeral expenses, monetary contributions will be kindly accepted.
        Published on: Sun September 13, 2009