Mr. Randy Wayne Barker
Randy Wayne Barker, 81, of Lexington, passed away peacefully Friday morning, May 5, 2023, at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore, KY. He was born November 22, 1941, in Ashland, to the late Jack and Ona Mae Penix Barker.
Randy spent his early years in Boyd County and graduated from high school there. He attended Ashland Community College before enlisting in the Army. He became a paratrooper/MP with the 101st Airborne Division and served in Vietnam before returning home to resume his education. He completed his journalism/advertising degree at the University of Kentucky and went on to enjoy a very successful advertising career in both Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Lexington. Randy was recognized for his creativity and wit and earned many significant awards along the way. Later, his retirement interests/hobbies included writing about investments and politics, continuing his lifelong UK basketball obsession, and being the best Poobah to his grandchildren.
Randy and his beloved wife, the late Gertrude “Trudy” Dietrich Barker, leave behind daughters Gretchen Anne Tussey of Independence, KY and Heidi Dietrich Nolty and son-in-law Ryan of Lexington; grandson Zachary Cole Nalley of Frankfort and granddaughter Emma Claire Nolty of Lexington. He is also survived by his sister Cheryl Garlinger and brother-in-law Mike of Russell, KY, as well as a host of extended family and friends. Special thanks are due his excellent caregivers at Thomson-Hood.
A memorial/committal service will be held at 12:00 pm, Friday, May 12th at the Rose Hill Burial Park mausoleum in Ashland. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Lexington Humane Society, 1600 Old Frankfort Pike, Lexington, KY 40504, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.