Mr. Robert Walker “Chip” Barrow Jr., of Cedartown, Ga. passed away Monday, April 8, 2024. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Cynthia Karer Barrow (Cindy), formerly of Laurel, MS.
Chip was born on October 5, 1937, in Albertville, Al, to Mrs. Grace Treadaway Barrow and Mr. Robert W. Barrow, Sr. His family moved to Cedartown when he was 4 years old.
Chip graduated from Cedartown High School in 1955 and later attended North Georgia College and Auburn University, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Following his college years, he was an active member of the Army National Guard of Alabama for seven years.
Prior to his retirement, Chip spent his last twenty working years employed by the Polk School District. He began as a vocational education instructor in electromechanics at Cedartown High School and was later appointed director of the maintenance department for the entire school district.
Chip loved these jobs-working with the students and “working to keep the school doors open,” as he described it.
Chip referred to his high school days as his “Peek Park days.” During the summer months, his job was to maintain the park’s tennis courts in the morning, run home a block away for a quick pb&j sandwich, then return to the swimming pool where he was a lifeguard and taught swimming lessons. And of course, there were also the impromptu diving exhibitions put on by him and his swimming buddy, Bitsy Monroe.
Chip was a lover of music, especially classical music, so his parents thought it was advantageous for him to take piano lessons. Unfortunately, the only good memory Chip had of this experience was knowing that his buddy, Roy Philpot, was right outside the window waiting for him to finish so they could go to Peek Park. In high school, Chip discovered the magic of drums and found his place in the CHS marching band.
Chip loved the great outdoors, whether it was working in his yard or deer hunting in the deep woods of South Georgia. He and several other gentlemen founded the Bottoms Hunting Club near Lumpkin, Georgia, fifty years ago. The beginning of deer season was one of the highlights of his year, and he treasured time spent in the deer stand and around the fire with his hunting buddies. Chip was considered a leader at The Bottoms and was always willing to share his wisdom with its younger members. His place in the club has been passed down to his son John and his grandson Burkley.
Chip was a gentle, loving Christian man with a gift of giving to others. The most precious gift anyone could give to him was to ask for his help or advice on how to solve a “fix it” problem.
As director of maintenance for PSD, he would never ask his work crew to do a job that he himself would not do. Chip loved his teaching years at CHS, and he felt a certain pride in being able to share his technical knowledge with his students. In his later years, nothing touched his heart like having some of his former students tell him that what they learned in his classroom had a direct impact on their lives and their chosen career paths.
Survivors include his sons: David Barrow (Christy) and John Barrow (April), both of Cedartown; stepdaughters: Christy Labrec (David) of Springhill, TN, and Jennifer Thompson (Todd), of Tega Cay, SC; and his grandchildren: Walker Barrow, Zane Barrow, Eli Barrow, Maryn Barrow, Burkley Barrow, Patrick LaBrec, Christopher Labrec, Ben Thompson, and Brayton Thompson. He is also survived by his sister, Susan Barrow Tipton of Pheonix City, Al; cousins, Sloan Barrow of Mount Zion, Ga. and Lee Barrow of Austin, TX; sister-in-law, Susan Karer Garrett of Jackson, MS; brother-in-law Jeff Karer of Jackson, MS; and nephew and godson Louis Garrett of Columbus, OH.Funeral services will be held, Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 2:00 PM at the Cedartown First Methodist Church, with Pastor Britt Madden, Jr. officiating. Eulogies will be given by John Barrow, Sammy Stephens, and Doug Elliot.
Serving as pallbearers will be Lloyd Gray, Jr., Harold Wyatt, Sr., Charles Byrd, Clay Love, Steve Timms, and Dr. Neil Gordon. Honorary pallbearers are Doug Elliot, Yancy Moore, John Burkart, Charles (Ju) McCown, Elaine Ashley, Doug Ratledge, members of The Bottoms Hunting Club, and his former students at CHS.The family will receive friends from 1:00 PM until the service hour on Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Polk County Humane Society (https://www.cedartownpolkcountyhumanesociety.com/donate).The Smith & Miller Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mr. Robert Walker “Chip” Barrow, Jr.
