Maxine Barber

Maxine was born to Oleita May (Altic) and Vern Thomas Knoop on 3/13/1921. Her brothers and sisters were Nadine (Knoop) Graham, Vernice (Knoop) Cox, Gwendola (Knoop) Ward, and Vern Thomas Knoop. Maxine graduated from Paola, KS, H.S. in 1939 and taught Willow Branch School from 1939-1940. She married George Lee Barber on 3/13/1940. They lived with George’s parents until she could finish that school year out; and then in August, they moved to Pacific Grove, CA, where they lived from 1940 through 1942. During this time, George worked at a cabinet shop, and they served for a time as youth leaders in a Baptist church. In 1942, George enlisted in the navy and went to Farragut, Idaho, for Boot Camp where Jerry Lee was born on 4/1/1943. After George went to sea, Maxine and Jerry returned for a time to Pacific Grove and then followed George as his career in the Navy took him across California from Yosemite National Park (El Portal), to Oakland, and lastly to San Francisco. It was while in San Francisco that Georgiea Irene was born on 3/11/1945. George was honorably discharged in December of 1945, and the family moved back to Kansas. They bought and lived on a farm through September of 1947, but ended up selling everything and headed to the Wesleyan Methodist Bible College in Miltonville, KS where they both were awarded a BA degree in religion on 5/28/1951. They transferred over to the Assemblies of God and went to Plainville in 1951 to pioneer a new church by purchasing a filling station and turning it into a church. It was while in Plainville, that Maxine received her Exhorters Permit with the Assemblies of God on 11/6/1952 and Exie Evern was born into the family on 2/23/1955. George held revivals throughout the summer of 1955, and then the family moved to Burden in 1955 to begin another new work where they started off from the back of a farm truck for the platform (where the piano also sat) and then eventually moved into a large schoolhouse. In 1959, they accepted the pastorate in St. Francis where Exie graduated from kindergarten and Jerry from high school in 1961. In the fall of 1962, it was back to Plainville to once again start a new church. Here they ended up moving in a church building from Natoma, KS, and sat it upon a foundation that George and the men of the church had laid. Although not now an Assembly of God church, this church is still in existence on the south side of Plainville. Here Maxine received her Ordination with the Assemblies of God on 4/11/1962 and Georgiea graduated from high school in 1963. They pastored here until winter of 1967 and then took the church in Sharon Springs where they pastored until 1980. During this time, Maxine taught school for three years in Harrison Flats and then seven years in Sharon Springs. While in Sharon Springs, Exie graduated from high school in 1973 and Maxine received her master’s degree in education from Fort Hays College in 1974. After retiring from pastoral work, George and Maxine continued to live in Sharon Springs until 1981 and then moved to Garnett where they lived until 1988…during which time Maxine taught school from 1981 through 1987 at Mount Ida; and then, after retiring, substituted at Holy Angels school from February through May of 1988. They then bought and moved to a farm northwest of Garnett until 1994. Then they moved to Paola in the fall of 1994 where George went to be with his Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, on 5/6/2005. Maxine moved into Vintage Park, Paola, in July 2016. Then following a bad fall, she moved into North Point, Paola in July of 2021. Maxine was preceded in death by her husband and two siblings…Nadine and Vernice. She is survived by Jerry Barber and wife (Becky) of Yellville, Arkansas; Georgiea Slyter and husband (Dave) of Paola, Kansas; Exie Barber and wife (Pam) of Ellsworth, Kansas; eight grandchildren; and twenty-two great grandchildren. Family and friends are encouraged to post their memories and condolences on Maxine's tribute wall.