David Barber

David Marion Barber, 79, of Dayton, Ohio, passed away on Friday, May 15, 2026.

David was born on November 16, 1946, in Portsmouth, Ohio, to the late Richard G. and Evelyn (Robbins) Barber. After Richard died in an industrial accident in 1948, David was raised by his mom and Ford E. Kleinman. A 1964 graduate of Portsmouth High School, David possessed an early passion for science, math, and photography—often found working late in the school’s darkroom for the school newspaper. He also served as the captain of the tennis team, was on Student Council and was the president of the Photography Club. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Ohio University in 1968 and later, a Master’s in Management from Wright State University in 1978.

A proud Veteran, David served in the United States Air Force from 1969 to 1973 as an imagery analyst during the Vietnam War. While serving, David earned many awards and commendations including the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Volunteer Reserves Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. Following his honorable discharge as a Staff Sergeant, he dedicated another 46 years to civilian service with FTD/NASIC at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, retiring in 2019.

While at FTD/NASIC, David was constantly looking for ways to automate the various tedious processes, improving effectiveness and efficiencies. He monitored threat missile and space systems, managed directorate resources, supervised research teams, authored corporate-wide planning documents, and provided oversight for NASIC’s assigned DIA production responsibilities. He also authored intelligence studies on foreign force modernization, weapons systems acquisition strategies, and flight test centers. As the Information Exploitation supervisor, he managed NASIC internal and contract libraries where he increased the accuracy and throughput of machine translations, and directed development of technologies for information storage, discovery and retrieval. Throughout his career, status quo wasn’t enough. David wanted to improve on everything, keeping NASIC at state-of-the-art levels. He broke the mold of the stereotypical view that older folks weren’t in touch with modern and evolving technologies. He was leading the charge in this area and was able to connect with the younger crowd thus clearing obstacles for implementing newer ideas.

Throughout his combined 49 years of service to his country, David lived strictly by the Air Force core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. He firmly believed that people should "always be truthful, because liars lose trust and eventually people cease to listen."

A lifelong learner and educator, David shared his expertise as an adjunct instructor at the Joint Military Intelligence College (NASIC) and as an adjunct assistant professor of cartography and geomorphology at Wright State University. His students honored him with the highest evaluations which made him proud. David loved to travel. He was offered the opportunity to work with professionals in Germany, England, Japan, and Hawaii. By the end of this career, he proudly earned the airlines million mile plus reward. Germany and Japan were among his favorites; he fondly remembered the electric atmosphere of Japanese baseball games and loved trying the country's many unique flavors of Kit Kats.

David loved books! Fiction or non-fiction, it didn't matter. Sharing what he learned, he was always the teacher. He loved old, black-and-white films, and foreign films with subtitles. David loved all genres of music as music brought him joy and peace. He would find a new adventure every day - long rides in a car with no destination, picnics in the car on a rainy days, or finding little diners to just to enjoy the people and their stories. He loved baseball, football, car races, tennis, hiking, and rock climbing. He loved living. He loved his family. He honored the people who came before him. He loved researching his family ancestry and took immense pride in discovering that his ancestors, Richard Mace and William Spencer, actively fought slavery as part of the Underground Railroad in Clinton County, Ohio.

Above all, David loved to bring joy to others. He was a jokester. He was famous for sending out near-daily "dad jokes," such as: "What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy, and the other is a little lighter."

In his final retirement email to his colleagues, David left behind a beautiful charge that serves as a fitting legacy for us all: “It is a blessing to anyone who wakes up in the morning, looking forward to a day of work. I have been so blessed, and I wish that to you as well. I charge you all to be productive, respectful and dedicated; to serve others and the mission and to have fun along the way. The future is yours – make it a great one!”

David was reunited in heaven with his beloved daughter, Jennifer Lynn Barber; his parents, Richard Barber, Evelyn and Ford Kleinman; and his brother, Dennis Kleinman.

His legacy lives on through his wife of 36 years, Darlene J. Barber; his daughters, Beth Ann (Jon) Varley, Lisa N. (Jeffrey) Metzcar, and Christa Stepp; and his cherished grandchildren, Jake A. Varley, Nate J. (Skylar) Varley, Jessica N. Metzcar, Brooke Metzcar, and Wyatt E. Stepp.

In accordance with David's wishes, no memorial services will be held. He will be interred at Fairfield Cemetery in Fairborn, Ohio, alongside his daughter, Jennifer. In lieu of traditional services, our family encourages those who knew David to share his story. A story that each of you knew. We encourage you to listen to the lyrics of his favorite songs: "Birds" by Neil Young, "Tomorrow is a Long Time" by Bob Dylan, or “In My Life" by the Beatles.

Memorial contributions can also be made in David’s name to Honor Flight of Dayton.

Donations can be made in his honor to Honor Flight Dayton, Inc 998 Lee Rd Troy, OH 45373. 

Web: https://honorflightdayton.org/donate-now/

To share a memory of David or to leave a special message for his family, please sign the online guestbook provided.