Charles Barber

Charles "Chuck" Barber was born Dec. 8, 1965, in St. Louis, Mo., and left us far too soon on Nov. 16, 2015, after a brief illness. He moved to Livengood, Alaska, at age 11 with his father until his father's death when Chuck was 15. He lived with the Hooper family until he graduated in 1984. Chuck graduated from UAF with a Bachelor's in Sociology in 1992. In Fairbanks, Alaska, he worked for Catholic Schools of Fairbanks and then became a VISTA volunteer at Literacy Council of Alaska. On Oct. 14, 1992, Chuck was matched with T C (Tupper) Becker in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Although the match officially closed in November of 1993, Chuck and Tupper remained close and truly considered each other brothers. Chuck's strong advocacy for children kept him focused on Big Brothers Big Sisters in Anchorage where he moved from being a volunteer to a paid Director of Development from 1993 to 1997. During that time Chuck earned his MPA from UAA. He also became one of the first Alaskans to earn the international credential of Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). In 1997, Chuck started his own grant writing business and was involved as a founding consultant with The Foraker Group where he utilized his skills to support many nonprofit organizations and leaders. Chuck co-authored Foraker's first publication on Strategic Grant making. From 2008 to 2014, Chuck was the Partnership and Grants Director for Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Chuck was a dedicated father and cherished his children, Nicholas and Laura above all else. Chuck was also an accomplished cook and enjoyed sharing his good taste and culinary creations. Chuck is survived by son, Nicholas; daughter, Laura; brother of the heart, Tupper Becker; loving companion, Deanna Lucas; the Hooper and Whelchel families; fond colleagues at Foraker, ANTHC and Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more friends than can possibly be listed here. Chuck was a loving father, a loyal brother, a generous friend and a tireless advocate for children, health and education in the state of Alaska. Thousands of Alaskans have directly benefited from Chuck's work and those who have had the privilege of knowing and working with Chuck, will miss him dearly. A celebration of life and potluck will be held on Dec. 5, 2015, at the Beach Lake Chalet in Chugiak from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to the Nicholas Barber Education account at Wells Fargo Bank and to any of the organizations that were near to Chuck's heart.