In Memory of Bill Barber
Please sign our public guestbook for Bill Barber. If you have a favorite memory or campfire story to share, please let us know. These will all be passed along to the family. Please sign your name in your comment section. Thank you.
Bill Barber was "Baden-Powell" to me as a Boy Scout. He looked the part and told so many stories that Scouting came to life in Bill Barber.
Our paths first crossed in January 2005 when we joined Troop 204 and were introduced to Bill. David, Daniel and I will remember his campfire stories and helpful tips for years to come. He is an inspiration to us all.
During a campout with troop 204 at talking rock, Bill was leading a group of boy scouts as they walked down the middle of a stream of water pointing out various items of nature, all the time whittling a stick that eventually became a flute, much to the amazement of the scouts. Bill was a man that truly understood the “boy” in BSA.
Mr. Barber was and will always be remember as a great man that has influenced many of us scouts and scouters. He has made a positive impact on this world that will nevevr be forgotten. I remember Mr. Barber teaching me all about wood working. He was a man of many talents. He has deffinately changed and influenced my life in many ways. -Austin
What an inspiration, this man. There are those who measure their self worth based upon the money they have, the possessions they own or the power they hold over others at some particular moment. All of which are temporary. Bill's legacy will instead be the hundreds of scouts and scouters whose lives he touched and influenced for the better, and that legacy will be lasting. I met Bill at my first Scouter's Winter Campout in Blairsville and wondered who this man was, walking around with a bearclaw necklace that nearly reached the ground signifying attendance at SWCs that nearly predated my birth. I didn't know then that my son would later become a member of his troop and get to spend campouts and summer camps with him. Each one of those, we count as special. The man always had a kind word, a wonderful disposition and an interesting story. I feel fortunate that my son was able to spend time with Bill and learn from him. Bill was an original article, and will be forever remembered but never replaced. We shall miss him.--Perry Collette, Chapel Hill N.C.
A Little Fellow Follows Me - Lee Fisher A careful man I want to be, A little follows me; I do not dare to go astray, For fear he'll go the self-same way I cannot once escape his eyes, What'er he sees me do, he tries; Like me he says he's going to be, The little chap who follows me. He thinks that I am good and fine, Believes in every word of mine; The base in me he must not see, The little chap who follows me. I must remember as I go, Through summer's sun and winter's snow; I am building for the years to be That little chap who follows me. Bill Barber was this man. He has shaped many a boy and many a Scouter. His legacy will live on though all those he touched.
A Little Fellow Follows Me A careful man I want to be, A little fellow follows me; I do not dare to go astray, For fear he'll go the self-same way I cannot once escape his eyes, What'er he sees me do, he tries; Like me he says he's going to be, The little chap who follows me. He thinks that I am good and fine, Believes in every word of mine; The base in me he must not see, The little chap who follows me. I must remember as I go, Through summer's sun and winter's snow; I am building for the years to be That little chap who follows me. ~~~~ Bill Barber was this man. He has shaped many a boy and many a Scouter. His legacy will live on though all those he touched.
I first really started getting to know Bill Barber working on the woodcarving merit badge at my first summer camp. His carvings were magnificent, and he was an amazing teacher that really helped all of us improve on our carvings. I can remember going to dozens of scouting activities in the area, from scout expos to OA events and all kinds of others, and if the name Bill Barber came up it always seemed like everyone had heard of him. He was such a well known figure that in a lot of ways he seemed to be the perfect scout, and everyone seemed to know it.
I always enjoyed listening to Mr. Barber's campfire stories, especially the ones at Okefenokee. I have often wondered if the fish really landed in the canoe with Mr. Barber. His happiness was always contagious.
The first time I met Mr. Barber was at my first campout which was the 2002 Okefenokee Spring Break Trip and I remember him riding his bicycle through the campsite. It was not until summercamp of that year when I realized how amazingly talented he was when I enjoyed a week long of whitling in his class. When Mr.Barber told the scouts in my first year woodcarving class that we could call him " Billy B" I knew from that point on he would not only be a member of the troop I had joined but a life long friend. I will always remember watching him pull a branch off a tulip poplar tree and whittle it into a whistle and the magnificent campfire stories he would tell at campfires that would leave you begging for an encore. When I see new scouts join the troop I am saddened that they will not have the opportunity to enjoy Mr. Barber's Woodcarving Class that many of us scouts and scouters were blessed enough to be apart of but I am happy to know that he is in a much better place. Mr. Barber's love for scouting will never be forgotten. As a member of Troop 204, and a friend of Mr. Bill Barber,I extend my condolences to the family. - John Hudson, Jr.
I remember the time at SWC, that we roasted a pig and Bill was to take the head home and bury it to clean it and whiten the poor little pig head. He buried it in his garden and forgot and plowed the sucker up. There went another totum for our flag. Bill will be missed. Bill Hight (#9)
I first met Bill shortly after Sean and I crossed over to Troop 204 in 2002. He was always glad to give a helping hand. Sean quickly became on of "Mr. Bill's" many Scout fans. He always looked forward to hearing Bill's campfire stories. Once on a campout at Talking Rock, the main body of the Troop was delayed waiting for one late Patrol. As ususal when a group of boys are standing around without something to do, they start edging towards mischief. Bill walked into their midst and sat down without saying a word. He pulled out his pocket knife and began to whittle. Soon one of the Scouts asked him what he was doing. He said he was making a whistle. In a matter of minutes, there was a ring of Scouts around him, pocket knives out, copying what he was doing. That really impressed me. Over the following years, I came to know Bill as a friend. It has been many years since I have played taps for a friend but I know Bill will appreciate it as long as I "do my best" Tim Shannon, Assistant Scoutmaster, BSA Troop 204 4/28/08
On one of our trips to the Swamp, Bill and I were out on the Lake and decided to turn into one of the shelters for a break. Just as we slowed down to dock, a fish jumped into our boat. Bill looked at me and I looked at him and we both said "no one is going to believe this, unless we take it back and show it to Ted." It was a funny moment for the both of us. I will always remember the fun that Bill and I had on every trip. I miss him now. Bus Driver Bob. :0(