Obituary of Gregory William Barrows

Gregory William Barrows was born October 18, 1949 in Manila, Philippines. His father, Gib, was a dispatcher for Pan-Am Airways, and the family lived in Manila through Greg’s early childhood. They moved to Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong in the late 1950s, where Greg attended Morrison Academy and King George V School. Returning to his father’s roots in Nebraska, Greg graduated from Hastings College in 1971. Being blessed with the lowest draft number in the county, he immediately joined the US Army and served in divided Berlin. At the conclusion of his military service, he moved to Texas, where he started a 31-year career with Moore Business Forms. He met Barbara Volberding in an AOL chat room in 1996. Proving that the internet is a very dangerous place, they were married in 1997. (Due to the poor math skills of both individuals, they mistakenly celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year.) Greg possessed an extraordinary depth of kindness. He was slow to anger, unashamedly gentle, and fiercely supportive of the people and causes he cared about. His niceness rivaled Mr. Rogers’. He had an outstanding sense of humor, though he was prone to telling the punchline before the rest of the joke. He was a devoted servant to multiple pets, and the worst part of this whole thing is Jack the dog finding out that his best friend isn’t coming home. A voracious reader, Greg especially enjoyed Erle Stanley Gardner, Tony Hillerman, Terry Pratchett, and adventures set during the Napoleonic Wars. He was also fascinated by Wikipedia, and read thousands upon thousands of pages about just about everything. He is survived by his wife Barbara, dog Jack, brother Andrew of Hansen, NE, and several cousins. He will be missed by nearly all who knew him, even those who just knew “that really nice guy with the dog.” An open house celebrating this remarkable man will be held soon. All attendees will be required to take a book home with them. Please consider a contribution to VNA of Johnson County, as Greg deeply appreciated their care.