Wallace "Chan" Channing Barksdale

Chan Barksdale, Age 88, passed away on November 3, 2017. He was a Fort Collins resident and had been living at Centre Avenue Health and Rehab since April. His death was caused by a stroke and other complications.
Chan was born in North Carolina, but spent twenty years in the Northeast and the last thirty years in the western states. As a teenager, he drove out west with friends to see the country. His first job was in a cloth factory, later he held jobs in a Kleenex factory in Wisconsin, digging choke holes in a logging operation in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, and as a ladle chaser in the Anaconda Copper Mine in Butte, Montana. Persuaded by his older brother to pursue a college education, he returned to North Carolina, where he attended North Carolina State, working toward a degree in architecture. The Korean War intervened, and he enlisted in the Air Force. He continued to serve in the Reserves during the Vietnam War, retiring as a Major.

He married Eleanor Toy in 1953. After his Korean service, he continued with his education at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He received a bachelor's degree in geology and geophysics. He took jobs with Western Electric Bell Labs and Raytheon, working on the Nike Hercules missile system. He said one of his most fulfilling jobs was teaching at Pinkerton Academy, a private New Hampshire school. He continued his education, obtaining a master's in hydrology at the University of New Hampshire. Raising and educating a family demanded he find a better salary, so he began work for Combustion Engineering in Connecticut. After several years writing reports and manuals for Combustion Engineering, he took a position as a field engineer inspecting and starting up power plants and paper mills across the United States. From 1981 through 1994, Chan continue to work in the western states at power plants and paper mills.

He and Judy Jacobson were married in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1985. His love of the outdoors and hiking began as a young boy and continued into his 80s. One proud accomplishment was thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1989 with his wife, Judy. That was followed by numerous long distance hikes in Europe and the United States. He loved traveling and scuba diving, which included trips to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Red Sea in Egypt.

Chan was known for his tell-it-like-it-is personality. You always knew where he stood on an issue. He continued to educate throughout his life, often pointing out geologic features or the physics of weather and flying. He had a laser-like ability to determine a person's character on a first impression. He will be remembered long after he is gone by how he influenced and contributed to the lives of his family and friends.

Chan was preceded in death by his mother and father, his brother Walter Lane Barksdale, and his sisters Susan Elizabeth Barksdale and Mary Beverly Barksdale Sheppe. He is survived by his wife, Judy Barksdale, his former wife Eleanor Toy, his son Dudley (Sabine) Barksdale, son Calvert Barksdale, daughter Janan (Manfred Strecker) Barksdale, and daughter Susannah Barksdale (Michael) Alle; one grandchild, Laura Barksdale; and two nieces, Suzanne Sheppe and Leslie Sheppe.

No service is planned. Following cremation, the remains will be scattered per Chan's wish. Goes Funeral Care is handling the arrangements. Memorial donations can be made to the charity of your choice or to the Appalachian Trail Conference in Harpers Ferry, WV, or the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, CO.