Barr, Chester R. Jr. 'Chet' 1925-2007

SWENSON, BARR, SORENSON, PALMER, COTE

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 3/22/2007 at 08:57:35

Martin's Funeral Home, Waukon, Iowa

Chester Barr
January 13, 1925 - March 6, 2007

Chester "Chet" R. Barr, Jr. 82, of Waukon, IA, died Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at his home in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 10th at 11:00 am at Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waterville, IA, with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Burial with graveside military rites will be held in the church cemetery. Friends may call from 4:00 to 8:00 pm Friday at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon.

Chester "Chet" Raymond Barr, Jr. was born January 13, 1925 in rural Postville, IA, the son of Chet R. Sr. and Ethel (Swenson) Barr. He was baptized at Forrest Mills United Methodist Church rural Postville and confirmed at Waterville Lutheran Church in Waterville, IA.

Chet spent his early childhood years with his parents and brother Roland in a log house below Pinney Springs in Dark Hollow. He attended rural elementary schools in Northeast Iowa, graduated from Waukon High School in 1942 and attended Waukon Jr. College.

Chet served in WWII from 1944 to 1945 flying 30 combat missions with the 8th Army Air Force as a waist gunner on B-17 Bombers. He was stationed at Polebrook Air Force Base in England. After returning from the service Chet attended Iowa State University in Ames, IA.

On May 26, 1945 he married Norma Sorenson at Waterville Lutheran Church in Waterville. Chet and Norma farmed for several years in the Allamakee County area. He also worked at the Postville Packing Plant in Postville and sold insurance for Farm Bureau in Waukon. Chet collected stamps and postcards and eventually published a weekly newspaper called Barr's Post Card News out of a house in Lansing. He continued to run mail auctions of postcards and stamps and memorabilia until the time of his death. Chet and Norma lived in the Heytman Landing area for the past 34 years before moving to Waukon in 2005.

Chet was member of Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church where he served on the church council. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, drawing and doing carpentry work. Chet also enjoyed spending time with his family especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife, Norma of Waukon; his children, Gerry (Kathryn) of Marion, IA, Sherryl (Roger) Palmer of Omaha, NE, Craig (Becky) of Cedar Rapids, IA and Candace "Candy" (Bill) Cote' of Westerville, OH; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Roland Barr; and a granddaughter, Hope Barr.

Honorary casketbearers were Joseph "Joe" and Jared Barr. Casketbearers were Chet Palmer, Dustin Cote', Jeremy Barr-Delaney, Jesse Barr, Shawn Fritcher, Nicholas Snavely, Mark Hansen and Chris Cooney.

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Allamakee Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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