Obituary of Lawrence T. Barkley

Lawrence (Larry) Barkley On Sunday, December 29, 2013, at 10:35 a.m. Lawrence (Larry) Barkley of Carlinville joined his Lord and his departed loved-ones in heaven, following a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was born on December 18, 1942 to Tom and Winnie (Shade) Barkley in Carlinville. Larry graduated from Carlinville High School with the class of 1960 and on December 22, 1961 married his soul mate, the former Joyce VanPelt. He was preceded in death by his parents. He began his life-long career at the age of nineteen with Schien Body & Equipment Co. where he started as a welder/lathe operator. He ultimately became the Plant Manager and served in that position until their closing. That was followed by several years as a supervisor at Central Equipment Co. in Carlinville until his retirement. Larry's greatest gifts were his creativity, love of animals, and the ability to inspire others. He enjoyed flying small aircraft and obtained his private pilot license in 1976. He was also an avid fisherman and deer hunter. His skills included woodworking, construction, and most recently, the creation and restoration of classic vehicles. When his health began to fail he found great pleasure and solace in the care of his vehicles as well as the friendships acquired at regional car shows. He was well known and loved throughout the car show circuit where he was affectionately known as "The Thumbs-up Guy" He was a member of National Hot Rod Association, Goodguys, and American Street Rod Association. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Michelle (Todd) Carroll of Hartsburg, IL; four granddaughters, Kaitlyn (Jordon) Denney of Bloomington, Brianna, Alexandra, and Mallory Carroll, one grandson, Gavin Carroll, all of Hartsburg, two sisters, Janet (Wayne) Smith of Carlinville, and Lois Blair (Tom) Prozorovsky of Naperville, and one brother, Alan (Peg) Barkley of Carlinville. He leaves behind his beloved kitties, Rambo (Guardian Angel) and Nala, and his "girls", "Blue Belle" and "Boo". Funeral Information Visitation will be on Thursday, January 2, 2014 from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Davis-Anderson Funeral Home in Carlinville. Funeral services will be held at Carlinville United Methodist Church on Friday, January 3, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. with burial at Mayfield Memorial Park Cemetery. Pastor Ed Herald of Victory Christian Center in Bloomington will officiate. Donations Information Memorials can be made to the Macoupin Tails Animal Shelter.