Dennis Barber, age 80, of West Bend, passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family. Memorial services on Saturday at the United Methodist Church in West Bend. Burial took place in the West Bend Cemetery. Visitation was Friday at the church. Services were live streamed on Lentz Funeral Home's website. Services were entrusted to Lentz Funeral Home of West Bend.
Dennis Ray Barber, the son of James and Charlotte (Kinseth) Barber, was born on December 18, 1942 in Belmond, Iowa. He graduated from Rodman High School in 1960. After high school, Dennis received an Associate’s Degree from Emmetsburg Community College and then a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education with a minor in Physical Education from Wayne State College in 1964.
His first year of teaching was at Ledyard, Iowa. In 1967, he started teaching at Carlisle High School. He taught Business and coached girls basketball. He also started the softball program there. On July 31, 1971, Dennis was united in marriage with Linda Workman at the Altoona Christian Church and later had their two children, Michelle and Brett.
The old saying “you can take a boy off the farm- but you can’t take the farm out of the boy” held true as they moved to the family farm in West Bend in 1981. He became the Head Girls Basketball Coach and ended his career by taking the West Bend-Mallard girls team to state in 1993.
Dennis also enjoyed driving the school bus for 41 years in West Bend and 58 years total. He was a member of the United Methodist Church and the Lions Club, where he was affectionately known as the “Ice Maker” for snow cones. He enjoyed spending time with his family and looked forward to the Barber Family Day at Adventureland every summer. He was a true Hawkeye fan and also loved to watch his grandchildren in all their activities. One of his favorite hobbies was cracking black walnuts which he would share with family and friends.
In Jan. 2023, Dennis was inducted into the Carlisle High School Athletic Hall of Fame as the girls basketball assistant coach that placed 4th in the state tournament in 1967. In May 2023, Dennis retired from bus driving.
Left to cherish Dennis’s memory is his wife of 51 years, Linda; children, Michelle (Mike) Hurt of Polk City and Brett (Carey) Barber of Waukee; six grandchildren Hannah (Ryan) Schorg, Jackson Harris, Weston Barber, Allison Hurt, Brooklyn Barber, Avery Hurt; siblings, Donna (George) Roberts of Sioux Falls, Ron (Joan) Barber of Cylinder and Rhonda (Tom) Frambach of Emmetsburg; and was blessed with many nieces and nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.
