Hardie Ray Barr Sr.'s Obituary
Obituary for Hardie Barr
Hardie Ray Barr was a smart, wonderful and loving son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. He was called to Heaven on November 30, 2023, at the age of 87.
He was born to Willie Ann and Hardie Lemual Barr on December 30, 1935, in Enterprise, La. He was the oldest of 8 children.
Hardie was married to Delma Lois Davis on June 26,1959. She was the love of his life as they were married for almost 63 years. Together they had 3 children (Hardie Ray, Jr., Cynthia Ann and Katherine Dee) and 4 grandchildren (Kayla Nichole, Douglas Austin, Jr., Krista Michelle and Hannah Rae).
Hardie had fond memories of growing up in Clute TX. While he was simple in his needs, his mind was brilliant and often filled with philosophical ideas and inventive solutions to problems he saw each day. His thirst for knowledge was never ending as he loved to read as a young child and eventually achieved the highest level of education with a Doctor of Jurisprudence.
His work ethic was exemplified through his 41 years of service with the federal government and NASA which started in 1958 when he was drafted and ordered to The Army Ballistic Missile Agency at The Red Stone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. This followed his basic training at Fort Chaffee, AR.
Even though he was a 22-year-old college undergrad at the time the Army liked the 3 years of engineering education he had received at Texas A&M where he had dutifully served in The Army ROTC program. He was assigned to work on the agency's burgeoning space program in the drafting department.
Following his honorable discharge from the Army he continued working on NASA projects with Brown Engineering, a federal contractor. During this time, he, Delma, and his son Hardie Ray, Jr., relocated to Houston, TX.
In 1964 he was recruited to join the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston and there he spent the next 37 years of federal service to the space program and NASA.
A brief summary of his responsibilities there includes:
1964 Landing & Recovery Division-Operations Evaluation & Testing
1969 Aircraft Operations- Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV) Ellington Air Force Base
1974 Technology Utilization Officer-Technical Planning Office
1978 Space Shuttle Payloads and Application Program Controls Office
1982 Resource Integration Office
1984 Patent Counsel Office
2002 Retired January 3
Papa (Pops) enjoyed puzzles and projects of creation such as creating story books and versions of monopoly with his grandkids. They were the apple of his eye, and he enjoyed spending time with them and attending their many events.
Preceding him in death is his beloved wife, Delma Lois Barr and his parents, Willie Ann and Hardie Lemual Barr and his siblings, sister Joyce Faye Barr and brother Gary Glenn Barr.
He is survived by his son Hardie Ray Barr, Jr., and his family Vinciane Doutrelepont and sons Roman and Tunay, his daughter Cynthia Ann and husband Daryl Wayne Orsak, children Kayla Nichole and Krista Michelle and his daughter Katherine Dee and her husband Douglas Austin Melis, children Douglas Austin, Jr. and Hannah Rae, and a host of other family members including brothers, David, Melvin, Steve, Don and sister Jo Ann and their families.
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