Necrology

William Henry Barber '56

Dec. 17, 1933-Mar. 21, 2023

William Henry Barber ’56 died on March 21, 2023, in Southington, Conn. Born on Dec. 17, 1933, in Binghamton, N.Y., he came to Hamilton from Binghamton North High School. A member of Sigma Phi fraternity and its president during his senior year, Bill majored in English. He was on the track team in his first two years, running cross country as a freshman, a member of the Doers & Thinkers honor society in his sophomore year, and in the Block “H” Club throughout his time on the Hill. As a senior, he was also on the Interfraternity Council.

Upon graduating, Bill joined the U.S. Navy Reserve and entered its flight training program. On Feb. 15, 1957, he was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy’s pre-flight school in Pensacola, Fla., and began primary flight training in the same location when his mother became seriously ill. Bill’s father had died earlier that year, and as Bill was an only child he was granted a compassionate discharge from military service to return to Binghamton to care for her. He remained in the Navy’s Inactive Reserve until 1961.

In the meantime, he went to work at the Binghamton Savings Bank, remaining there until 1960 when he began his career as an English teacher at West Junior High School. Several years later while bowling with friends, Bill met Ellen Theresa O’Keefe. A native of Scranton, Pa., she too was a teacher in the Binghamton school system. They were married on Aug. 27, 1966, in Scranton, and would have a son and three daughters. 

That same year, Bill completed his master’s degree in English at Harpur College, a unit of what was then the State University of New York at Binghamton.

At the end of the 1960s, Bill changed course, stepping away from teaching to become an editor and technical writer for a series of companies, including Babcock & Wilcox, Gerber Scientific, FTT Technical Design Center, and the Grumman Corp. To be closer to companies that might want his services, Bill and his family moved to South Windsor, Conn., in 1979, after residing for some years in North Canton, Ohio. In several instances, Bill would leave home early Monday morning to drive some distance to his office and return only at the end of the day on Friday, staying in an apartment provided by the company during the week. Weekends were devoted to his family, supporting his children’s sports teams, sharing his love of books, and stressing the importance of their education. Bill was a voracious reader who quickly solved crossword puzzles. For a time, he was a member of the Elks Club.

By the early 2000s, Bill cut back on his working hours, not really retiring but working part time. Ellen and he moved to a retirement community, where he devoted himself to his interests in walking, biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing. He was an enthusiastic fan of the University of Connecticut’s basketball teams, often traveling to see their home games accompanied by his children. 

Sadly, Ellen became ill with dementia, necessitating their moving to Livewell, a memory care community in Southington, Conn., in 2018. Bill cared for her until her death on Dec. 26, 2021. In that same period, Bill traveled to Scranton from time to time to bring his mother-in-law, Eleanor O’Keefe, back to Southington to visit her daughter. Just nine months after Ellen’s death, Eleanor died at the age of 102. Shortly thereafter, Bill himself began to manifest symptoms of the same illness.

Bill supported the College through donations to the Hamilton Fund as well as to the 150th Anniversary Campaign. He also served on his class’s reunion gift committee. 

William H. Barber is survived by his son, two daughters, and three grandchildren.

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