Obituary of Raymond Barker

Colonel Raymond Henry Barker, Jr.,USAF retired, 66, of Alexandria, VA, passed away suddenly on May 3, 2013. Ray was born in Irvington, NJ and raised in West Paterson, NJ. He was part of the VPI Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech while earning his undergraduate degree in 1968. He also received his Masters in Aerospace Engineering in 1969 from Virginia Tech. He continued his studies while in the Air Force, receiving his Doctorate in Astronautical Engineering. His remarkable Air Force career including work on such projects as Minuteman, Star Wars, SDI, and Milstar and coordination of space programs across all branches of the military from the office of the Secretary of Defense. After proudly serving his country in the Air Force for 25 years, he retired to Alexandria, VA and joined the private sector, continuing his involvement in the field of aerospace, most recently at Alion Science and Technology, until his death. He is survived by his daughters, Holly Barker and Heather Melrose and her husband James, his grandchildren Joseph and Benjamin Melrose, his parents Raymond Sr. and Edna Barker, his sister Victoria DeBlock and her husband James, his nephews Robert DeBlock and his wife Renee and Rollo Barker, and niece Victoria Bonaccorso and her husband Fran. He is predeceased by his brother Tommy Barker. Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 2-4 & 7-9pm at Santangelo Funeral Home, 635 McBride Ave., Woodland Park. A funeral Mass will be offered on Wednesday at 10:15am at St. Bonaventure Church, 174 Ramsey St., Paterson. Cremation will be private by the request of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to: Checks made payable to the Virginia Tech Foundation, "VTCC Barker Memorial" in the memo webapps.es.vt.edu/givingto/academic/gift or to Virginia Tech University Development (0336) 902 Prices Fork Rd., Blacksburg, VA 24061