Greg Barker of Saluda, formerly of Travelers Rest, SC, passed away on October 30, 2021.
He was born in Cocoa Beach, FL, where his dad was a NASA engineer, but spent most of this growing-up years in Mooresville, NC and Durham, NC. He was a multi-sport athlete at Northern Durham High School and Fork Union Military Academy, attended Guilford College, and graduated from Lander University with a degree in exercise physiology. As a long-time employee of North Greenville Fitness, most recently being VP of Sales, he provided health and fitness evaluations to thousands of first responders and fostered relationships with fire and law enforcement departments across the Southeast.
Greg loved camping, hiking, paddling climbing, archery and ax-throwing; Low Country boil and craft ginger ale, the spicier the better; the Outlander series of books (and yes, he did have his own kilt); Wolfpack sports; sunrises at Mount Mitchell; October fishing trips to Ocracoke; and jaunts through the Green River Game Lands near his home with his German shepherd companion and very good girl, Maxi.
He loved his family and the trips, meals, and smart-aleck conversations they shared: his mother Faye Barker of Asheville; his father, Jeter Olive Barker, Jr. (Bud), who passed away in 2008; his brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Libby Barker of Black Mountain; and his nephews Eli, Briggs and Calvin Barker of Black Mountain, who nicknamed him “Ultra Bubba.” He loved Maria Oldham, with whom he shared a cabin in the forest, travel and good food, and matching bracelets engraved with the GPS coordinates of the Purple Onion, where they had their first date.
A gathering for family and friends will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial gift to a charity of your choice. And go take a walk in the woods.
Sanders Funeral Home.
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