Robert Glenn Barracks

Robert Barracks, 95, of Kanawha, passed away on Friday, October 18, 2013, at the Kanawha Community Home.

Funeral services for Robert Barracks will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, at 10:00 AM at the Kanawha Lutheran Church, 124 West 4thStreet, in Kanawha with Pastors Char and Geoffrey White officiating.  Burial will be at Corwith Cemetery in Corwith.  

Visitation will be on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Ewing Funeral Home, 118 East 2nd Street, in Kanawha and will continue one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.

Bob, the eldest son of Glenn and Mary (Wilkinson) Barracks, was born July 22, 1918, in Corwith, Iowa.

After high school, Bob received a scholarship to Coe College for basketball and baseball but chose to pursue a baseball career at the Ray Doane Baseball School in Little Rock, Arkansas with major and minor league instructors including hall-of-famers Dizzy Dean, and Rogers Hornsby.  After school, in 1938, he received a contract to play for the St. Louis Cardinals farm team. He played for two years with one of the highlights being catching for Bob Feller.  At that time, his Uncle "Sam" called and he enlisted in the army on October 13, 1946.  He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands as a staff sergeant for 4 years and 19 days.

On September 8, 1947, he was united in marriage with Berniece Omvig of Kanawha.  They had four children, Mary, Roxanne, Bobby and Ron.

Bob owned a corn shelling business in Corwith for many years.  He then moved on to auto sales in Clear Lake and Mason City.  He ended his working years with Custom Farm Service, first as an assistant manager and retiring as a regional manager.

Bob loved spending time with his family, baseball, fishing, gardening and the Iowa Hawkeyes.  He was proud of his military service and he was very grateful to be included in one of the Honor Flights in 2009.

Bob is survived by his wife of 66 years, Berniece, daughter Mary and her husband Mark of Minneapolis, MN, daughter Roxanne and her husband Dale of Ames, IA, and son Ron and his wife Donna of Clear Lake, IA.  He had six grandchildren who he adored, Eric and wife Julie Sorensen of St. Paul, MN, Claire Sorensen of Minneapolis, MN, Elliot Thompson of Ames, IA, Alex Thompson of Denver, CO, Rachael Barracks of Longmont, CO and Reese Barracks of Clear Lake, IA.  Last but not least, two beautiful great-grandsons, Wyatt and Henry Sorensen of St. Paul, MN.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Jack, and sister, Bonnie, and infant son, Bobby.