William Kenneth Barbour

William Kenneth Barbour

August 31, 2021, 86, Goldsboro –

William Kenneth Barbour, age 86, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 31 under the compassionate care of Kitty Askins Hospice Center and his devoted family. Ken (as he was called) was born on June 22, 1935 to William Elbert and Lettie Stephenson Barbour in Johnston County, North Carolina.

A three-sport student-athlete and graduate of Benson High School in 1953, Ken was a tenacious young man ready to go out into the workforce. Ken spent 26 rewarding and successful years with PYA Monarch, Inc. Foodservice Distributors where he steadily climbed the ranks from Salesman to District Manager, and ultimately retiring as Senior Buyer of Beef, Poultry, Pork, and Seafood. A naturally vivacious people person, he loved his career and all those he met while traveling.

Ken was known as a caring, hardworking, and loving man whose world centered around his wife, three children, and being a fun and charismatic ‘Papa’ to his grandchildren. He loved a good sports game or Western on television, playing pool and cards with friends at the Elks Lodge, and lived a life of deep faith during the many years attending First Baptist Church in Goldsboro with his beautiful wife, Helen.

It’s hard to express how terribly missed Ken is by all those who knew him, but his un-paralleled spirit will grace us through every Red Sox and Carolina game we watch, as we spend time tending to our gardens, and anytime we’re surrounded by the love of family and friends – as his spirit lives in all of us and holds us together.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William Elbert and Lettie Stephenson Barbour; brothers Atlee and Durwood; and his daughter Retired USAF Col. Donna Kimberly Dougherty.

He is survived by his wife, Helen Barbour; son William (Kenny) and wife Paula, and daughter Marie (Christy) and husband Dean, as well as his 8 beloved grandchildren.

The funeral service in celebration of Ken’s life will be held at First Baptist Church in Goldsboro. More information to come.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Ken to First Baptist Church, 125 S. John Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530.

Arrangements by Shumate-Faulk Funeral Home, Goldsboro.

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