Barker, Elizabeth H.

DELMAR- Elizabeth Hough Barker of Delmar died on Sunday, June 7, 2020.

Beth was a teacher and homemaker whose way with others endeared her to everyone she met. Generous of heart and spirit, she was always quick to smile and offer an encouraging word.

Beth was born in Watertown, New York, on July 28, 1945, to John Barnett Hough and Catherine McGowan Hough. She attended Immaculate Heart Academy (IHA) there before going on to study at Trinity College in Vermont and then the New York State Teachers College at Potsdam (now SUNY Potsdam), where she earned her B.A.

While still a freshman she met her future husband, Larry Barker, Jr., on a blind date. After finishing college, she married him on August 12, 1967, in St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown. They moved to the Schenectady area where she taught kindergarten until taking time off to raise her family. The family moved to Maryland near Washington, D.C., and eventually returned to New York, settling in Delmar, where she lived for more than forty years. Beginning in the 1980s she resumed her career, becoming a much-loved teacher at Tri-Village Nursery school in Delmar.

Beth was a devoted wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend, and an unwaveringly faithful Catholic. She loved children – her own, her students, her grandchildren, and any other child who came her way. And they loved her back. Many, now grown, still refer to her affectionately as “Mom Barker.”As a child Beth spent part of every year at the family farm in Potsdam, where she and her eight brothers and sisters helped out and concocted countless adventures together. While raising her own family she kept a vegetable garden and later could often be found outside tending the beautiful flower beds she planted. She was a lifelong walker and a skilled home cook and baker, known to kids in schools across the Capital District throughout the 1980s via her chocolate chip cookies, worth their weight in gold on the trade floor of the cafeteria.

A proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Beth loved her country and made sure to fly the flag every day. In May she loved to watch (and wager on) the Kentucky Derby. Simple things made her happy — a child’s laugh, the smell of hay in the barn, a ripe summer tomato. Hers was a life well-lived. She will be missed by many.

Beth is survived by her five beloved children, Lawrence L. Barker III (Kristen) of Queens; Ellen B. Dunagan (John) of Arlington, VA; John H. Barker (Emily) of Westfield, NJ; Catherine B. Zuckerman (Eric) of Bethesda, MD; and James B. Barker (Justine) of Mendham, NJ. Her beloved husband Larry died in 2008.

Other survivors include her thirteen grandchildren, four brothers and four sisters, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her dear, loving friend Robert Mackin of Albany also survives her.

Due to current health restrictions there will be no public calling hours and services will be private.

The family is grateful for everyone’s love and support during this difficult time.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Historic St. Mary’s Church Outreach Center, 10 Lodge St, Albany, NY 12207