Thomas Earl Barkhouse

Thomas Earl Barkhouse passed away on March 7, 2025, on his 94th birthday, in Marysville, CA.

He was born on March 7, 1931, in Sacramento, CA, to Leslie and Bernice Barkhouse. 

In 1933, his family moved to begin farming in Sutter County, CA. When Tom was just 7, his father and mother died from tuberculosis in 1948.

Tom and his older brother, Bob, grew up with their grandparents in Meridian, CA, attending Winship Grammar School, while their sister, Marian, boarded at Notre Dame School for Girls in Marysville, CA.

Tom and Bob attended Sutter High School. Tom graduated in 1948, but he always said that he really graduated from the school of hard knocks.

Tom enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951, when he was almost 21 years old.

He served honorably through 1954, primarily on the USS Chevalier 805, a Gearing Class Destroyer, with nine Battle Stars for service in the Korean War.

He shared lifetime bonds with his mates. Tom was recognized for his mechanical skills, and his Commander, J. Dunham Reilly, wrote Tom's grandfather in 1953 that, "it is men like these that have made our Navy and our country the best in the world."

Back home, Tom waterskied and raced his Guasti flatbottom boat at Englebright Lake for over 15 years. When summer ended, he would tell everyone that he had to take the motor out of the boat and put it back in the bean harvester.

Tom began farming in 1959, a third-generation farmer. At one point he farmed close to 1,000 acres, rotating his baby limas with rice.

Tom was credited with developing two new varieties of baby lima beans, but also grew rice, safflower and wheat. One year, Tom was selected as Northrup King's State sorghum Champion. 

Tom married Nora and had two children, Kara and Tommy. While farming and raising his family, he still served on the Boards of Directors for Winship School, Production Credit, District 1660 Reclamation Board, Tisdale Irrigation Board, and the Meridian Lions Club Board.

He was a lifetime member of the Poverty Ridge Safety Committee which met regularly on Tommy's tailgate on Friday afternoons.

Tom loved his cars, beginning with his high school 1937 Plymouth. He restored many vehicles, but the 1963 Avanti and 1935 Plymouth were his favorites.

He tinkered, restored, collected and drove cars all over California with his favorite car clubs. Tom and wife, Mary, enjoyed being in the local parades and shows. They often dressed up as the Keystone Cops, Geppetto and Pinocchio, or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Friends and family will remember Tom for his great sense of humor and jokes for every occasion. He was still telling jokes to everyone in his hospital room. 

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Leslie and Bernice Barkhouse; brother, Bob Barkhouse; and sister, Marian Richardson; first wife, Nora Barkhouse; and wife, Mary Barkhouse.

He is survived by his son, Tommy Barkhouse; daughter, Kara Barkhouse; stepchildren, Brian Goforth (Janet), Neil Goforth (Jennifer), and Pamela Doiron (Daniel); sister-in-law, Gayle Barkhouse; multiple grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces; and nephews. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at 12 PM on May 24, 2025, at Poverty Ridge Farms, Meridian, for family and friends.