Ray E Barber

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February 23, 1943 - July 29, 2025

Raymond Edward Barber, 82, of Hot Springs Village, Ark., passed away peacefully on July 29, 2025. Born February 23, 1943, in Detroit, Mich., Ray was a standout at El Dorado High School and LSU, where he excelled in sports and joined 32-plus organizations. He was commissioned as a U.S. Air Force officer and named top athlete at training camp.  
Exxon hired Ray straight from college and held his job during military service. His Air Force career involved top-secret missile programs across Nebraska to Southeast Asia, followed by 14 years in Reserve/National Guard. Ray left his Exxon supervisor role for commercial real estate, specializing in regional malls and opening Macon, Georgia's largest. He became a nationally recognized speaker, owned his own company, and maintained a property portfolio for 35-plus years.  
Ray never retired from anything—including life. Friends called him "the oldest teenager around." Ray loved music from classical to Led Zeppelin to Garth Brooks, served as successful President of the Village Concert Association, and supported theater and arts. He loved dancing, singing, skiing, dominoes, golf, boating, and floating rivers. Ray was preceded in death by parents, Marvin R. Barber and Leona M. Kirkpatrick. He's survived by daughter, Amy Barber; sons, Matthew and Raymond Jr.; and grandchildren, Garrett, Julian, and Berkeley. 
Celebration of life: Gathering 10 a.m., service 11 a.m., Saturday, September 6, at Caruth-Village Funeral Home. Military burial 3 p.m. at Jones Cemetery, Amity, Ark.
Ray's words to live by: "Let The Good Times Roll!" Donations suggested to Ike Murry Memorial Scholarship (UA Little Rock) or Hot Springs Village Animal Welfare League. Condolences: www.caruth-hale.com.
This is a heartbreak for all of us who knew him. He was friendly to everyone.  I can hear him saying Cowabunga to make us laugh.

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Biography:

50 years...can't believe ya'll are that old!!  My life, like everyone else I hope, very diverse..fun and never boring.  To sum it up, just like that buzzard surveying the wagon train in the desert..."Patience? HELL, I'm gonna kill something." Be alive..be proactive..make it happen!

Left El Dorado High for LSU and basically never came back...parents moved to North Little Rock my sophomore year, so where's home to be?  LSU was as diverse and fun as torn ligaments to ATO Fraternity to University Chorus to Honor Graduate to ROTC Corps Commander to 2nd LT, USAF. A B.S. in Economics and Exxon (ESSO) hired me, willing to wait on the USAF.

Air Force caught me hiding in the Master's program at LSU and forced me into slave labor in a top secret missile program in Nebraska.  Fear of cold, hard winters found a wonderful Nebraska girl, the Mother of my two children: Amy and Matthew. As a Regular Officer I thought career but SE Asia changed my mind. Travel plans included Nebraska, Denver, Okinawa, Thailand, Vietnam, Texas, MS, Spokane, WA + other sordid, short stops.  Exxon took me back and sent me to Nashville, TN.  I left Exxon as a Sales Supervisor for MS to become project and general manager of large shopping malls from Greenville, MS to largest in the SE in Macon, GA to largest in SW in Okla City, OK. VP of Commercial Properties for a West German company progressed to President of a large, real estate syndication company in San Francisco, CA with almost $1 Billion in properties across the Western U.S...talk about diversity!!!

Divorce and new opportunities sent me to Austin, TX for 10 yrs where I headed up a real estate development and syndication company for office to retail to warehouses to apartments, etc. Met a Hot Springs girl in Austin..married and lived in Austin. Two stepdaughters in Arkansas brought me full circle...back to Arkansas and Little Rock since 1992.

After starting from scratch in Little Rock I own a portfolio of commercial properties and a commercial real estate company. When the economy nosedived I was trying to extract myself to a life of more diversity and fun.  But, alas, a divorce and lots of vacancy suggested I might continue to work for a few more years.

My daughter, Amy, is a production artist with Hallmark Cards in Kansas City and son, Matthew, is an optometrist in Ft Worth, TX.  As for me, it's never too late for love to find you..Ms. Claudia..last year and we are being "diverse" and having "fun".  So, join us on the dance floor!!! Ahhheeeeeeeeeeeee!

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