Robert Thomas "Bob" Barker's Obituary
Robert Thomas “Bob” Barker, age 50, of Memphis, TN passed away on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Bob was born in Birmingham, AL, on February 14, 1966. He is survived by his loving wife of 23 years, Karen Eckert Barker, his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Barker of San Antonio, TX, brothers Patrick of San Antonio, TX, and Daniel of Jacksonville, AL. Also a multitude of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews who all loved him dearly, as he did them, as well as friends from the many places he had worked and lived.Bob was a 1984 graduate of Jacksonville High School, Jacksonville, AL, a 1990 graduate of Auburn University, Auburn, AL with a BS in Chemical Engineering, a 1995 graduate of the College of William and Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law, Williamsburg, VA, with a Juris Doctor (JD), a 2010 graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD with an MS in Biotechnology, and a 2015 graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a Master of Laws (LLM) in Health Care.Bob worked as a patent attorney for law firms and several companies over the years in various industries including chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology. He was presently employed as Principal Patent Counsel, Spine and Biologics, with Medtronic, Inc., Memphis, TN. Bob loved what he did and the people he worked with.Bob had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and was almost always taking some sort of class. He loved and owned many books on a huge variety of subjects. He enjoyed learning languages and studied Japanese and German for many years. He liked to travel and was interested in different cultures. Music was an inspiration to him and he especially loved Eurythmics. He was intrigued by plants, particularly carnivorous plants and any that were unique. He also enjoyed running and exercising, eating out, Sunday movies, and his cats, Nina, Sami, and Sumi. He cherished his family and his friends, particularly enjoying his younger brothers and teasing his young niece, Adelaide.Bob was loved by all who knew him. Some comments from his friends and coworkers are that he was kind, brilliant, funny, gentle, soft-spoken, a joy to work with, and one of the good guys. He had respect for others, was admired, and had a great sense of humor and zest for life. One friend stated it well: he had a love for things that were a little off. His quick-wit will be missed by everyone.In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a charity of your choice or something with special meaning to you that makes the world a better place. Bob especially loved animals, so contributions to any animal welfare group would be much appreciated.Arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis TN 38119. (901) 767-8930. “Celebrating Life….Behind the Stone Wall.”
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