Page created by: Shannon Barger

William "Bill" Barger led a life to be proud of, had many accomplishments, and gave of his time and money to many organizations. Bill was born on November 1, 1944 to Aylene and James Ray Barger and spent his childhood in Monterey Park, CA. As an Eagle Scout, musician, top student, and athlete at Mark Keppel High School, Bill earned his way to college through scholarships. He went on to graduate from both the University of Southern California with his Bachelor's degree and then Harvard University where he earned a in Econometrics and Mathematical Statistics. He was also honored as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Although he held the well-deserved title of Dr., he preferred to be called "Bill" thinking "Dr. Barger"sounded much to pretentious for him.
Over the years Bill had several careers; he taught Economics at the University of Southern California, served as the Vice President of Bank of America, Los Angeles and the Executive Vice President of Gibraltar Savings. Eventually, he moved into private consulting where he had more time to follow other passions such as researching and writing articles about early California history. He did this all while continuing to run sub 3 hour marathons and spending time exploring his love of the Eastern Sierras.
While at Gibraltar Savings, Bill met his future spouse, Jane Cox and her young son, Lucas; they were married in 1988. At the age of 48 in 1992, he became a father both with the legal adoption of Lucas and the birth of his daughter, Shannon.
Having retired from banking and now working as a private consultant and investor, Bill had the time to be heavily involved in the lives and education of both his children. Serving as the President of the Board of Trustees at High Point Academy for many years, he was very influential in both their lives and in the development of the school. He also continued his love of Scouting and volunteered as Assistant Scout Master for Troop 4 in Pasadena, CA.
Sadly Parkinson's disease played a devastating role in the final decade of Bill's life. Being the bully that it is, the disease slowly took away his ability to continue the activities that he loved and eventually left him unable to walk, remember, and eventually robbed his ability to swallow. Though it was incredibly difficult, Bill remained good-natured and positive throughout his life. Even while feeling the effects of the disease, he was able to to be there for momentous occasions such as Lucas's marriage to Kristin and Shannon's college graduation. He spent the final three years of his life living in the senior living community of Monte Cedro in Altadena, CA.
Joyfully, Bill's two grandchildren, Romy and Clark Barger, were able to visit a few months before his passing. Bill decided he had finished battling this disease and on February 23, 2019, hand in hand with his daughter, Shannon, Jane at his bedside reading to him, and surrounded by loving friends, care-givers, and his dog, Max, Bill left his body for a better place.