Trent B. Barber
Services for Trent B. Barber, 16, of 3521 Springmill North Road, will be held Saturday at 4 p.m. in the First Christian Church by the Rev. C. Reid Miller.
Calling hours will be Friday at Turner Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to Boy Scout Troop 409, First Christian Church or the athletic department at Shelby Senior High School.
Born June 24, 1970, in Shelby, he died Tuesday evening as a result of an auto accident on Plymouth-Springmill Road.
He was a junior at Shelby Senior High School, was a member of the Shelby Whippet varsity football team and was involved in the weight-lifting program. He was a member of the First Christian Church, the Fleets Fitness Center and Boy Scout Troop 409. He worked in outside maintenance at Shelby Memorial Hospital and worked for Rapid Response in Ontario.
He is survived by his parents, Jerry L. and Rebecca Hursh Barber; one brother, Kurt; one sister, Dawn; his paternal grandparents, Claud and Edna Barber of Shelby; and maternal grandmother, Elsie Hursh of Shelby.
April 12, 1987
To: The Students of Shelby High
From: A Friend of Trent Barber’s Family
The Day After-
As an outside observer during your plight over the loss of Trent Barber, I was left with an uneasy feeling…….. a feeling that maybe I missed something. Why this tragedy? Why Trent?
If you’re also aware of something gnawing at your mind, something you just can’t put your finger on, then you too may be asking Why? What’s the message? Is there a purpose?
One of your fellow students and friends died in an auto accident, and judging from the size of his following, Trent wasn’t “Just another student”. Scores of folks paid their respects at the funeral parlor. A couple hundred more attended the church service where we heard fine words about Trent. We saw the strength of his family in God as we sympathized with their loss. We listened to the Pastor as he worked to reconfirm our faith regarding life’s final event. And then we saw the afternoon sun break through the clouds to illuminate and warm the sancutary as we sang the last hymn. Certainly special, wasn’t itl But why?
I watched as so many of you hesitated at the curb, not wanting to give him up as his casket was loaded into one of those purposeful vehicles. And slowly Trent was borne away…to tarry a moment at the intersection… then to disappear over the tracks, down the hill and westward out of sight. .as the skies once again darkened with overcast and still you watched! Why?
Later, after hearing the details of the events filling the spaces on both sides of Trent’s accident, I was puzzled by the number of unusual coincidences, one of which involved me, others I’m sure involved you. But why? What is the missing message? God’s “purpose” certainly seemed vague, but the canvas on which this emotional picture is painted is agonizingly vivid! As I searched again for a message of understanding, I recalled that only a few days before, some awsome information was brought to my attention; information I pass on to you because it seems so pertinent to this situation. It involves fatal statistics:
14 TEENAGE DRIVERS PERISH EACH DAY!!
In other words, there are 14 Trent Barber stories everyday! That’s 5,000 stories a year! Laws, signs, training and safety precautions fall short in preventing these sorrowful events. Obviously, only you can stop these teenage automobile deaths. Will you try? Will you remember Trent Barber and please try?
Then finally I knew, while writing you this note, that Trent’s story was going to cause all of you to search for his or her own message just as soon as someone asked you, “Why?”
May God bless you all –
To the family of Trent, our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. You will find alot of lovely moments that the family will remember and discuss among each other. Bonnie Cline and Valerie Watrous