Obituary of Carl E. Barber

Carl Barber, 71, of Marathon, NY, passed away on Monday, October 12, 2020. He was born on June 28, 1949, to the late Merle E. and Madelon Stanfield Barber. Mr. Barber earned his Master's Degree in Trombone Performance from Syracuse University in 1978. His musical career included playing trombone in the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and teaching instrumental music in schools and privately at home. Carl taught at Rome Academy for one year before taking a position at Marathon Central School for the next 33 years. For 30 of those years, he worked alongside his wife Nancy, whom he "hired" as the vocal teacher. Together, Carl and Nancy shared their love of music for the years to come. Their combined Christmas concert was the highlight of the holiday season in Marathon. Carl had a talent for bringing out the best in those he taught with his abundant amounts of joy and knowledge. Upon retirement, Carl continued his piano studies with Dr. Kevin Moore, which he had begun many years earlier. He also continued to give private music lessons and taught at Marathon Christian Academy. Carl was heavily involved in the church and community. He was an Elder at Amber Congregational Church. While there he continued to pursue his religious studies with Reverend Rick Chaffee and shared his faith and teachings with others. Carl consistently looked after everyone in his daily life and congregation. He made sure people were thought of and expressed this through his love of music, teaching, cooking and baking. Carl loved reading cookbooks and researching new recipes that he could share with others. Mr. Barber enjoyed time with his family at Otisco Lake where he practiced his other hobbies which included woodworking, swimming, reading history books and making model airplanes and ships. While at the lake, he would spend hours researching and telling jokes. Carl loved seeing the smile on people's faces. He brought joy and happiness to a lot of people over the years. It has been magnificent to see this returned to him and his family during this time. Carl is survived by his wife Nancy Barber, his son Merle R. (Mandie) Barber, his daughters Mary L. (Ryan) Terry and Marci J. (Todd) Stephens, his sister Helen (Robin) Barber, his grandchildren Carl A., Madelon L., Emmaline M., and Annabelle M., his nephew Joel Coye, and his niece AshLee Coye. Calling hours will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2020, from 10am-12pm at the Wright-Beard Funeral Home, 9 Lincoln Ave., Cortland, NY followed by a private memorial service. NYS guidelines will be followed regarding capacity, social distancing, and wearing face coverings. The memorial service is private but can be streamed https://www.facebook.com/wrightbeardfuneralhomeinc on Saturday at 12pm. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Teen Challenge Syracuse, 124 Furman St, Syracuse, NY 13205 and Amber Congregational Church, 2366 Otisco Valley Rd, Marietta, NY 13110.