John Barclay was born on October 3, 1933 in Detroit, Michigan. He was the only son of John Barclay Sr. and Christine McIntyre, of Glasgow, Scotland. John served in the US Army, Airborne. On May 9th, 1964, he married LouAnn Merce, of Toledo, Ohio. John enjoyed spending time with LouAnn's siblings Linda, Carolyn, Bill, their families, and his parent in-laws Geneva and Paul Merce. John and LouAnn had two children in 1968 and 1969, Katherine Ann and Paul Neil. While raising his young family, John attended night school at Wayne State University, where he received a Business Degree. John and LouAnn moved their family to Oxford, Michigan, where they remodeled a lake home and enjoyed water sports with their children and dog, Puff. John worked for Chrysler for 25 years as an IT manager. John and LouAnn suffered the loss of their son, Staff Sergeant Paul Neil Barclay, of the 10th Mountain Green Beret A Group, 2nd Battalion, on April 14, 1994, in northern Iraq. John remained close with Paul's widow Melissa of North Carolina, and her children Trey and Alyssa. When John retired, he and LouAnn loved traveling around the world, including visiting John's cousins in Scotland, and exploring Europe, Israel, and Central America. They moved to Utah in 2001 to be near their grandchildren, Paul Seth and Luke Christopher Harmston. John and LouAnn were to celebrate their 54th Anniversary this year.
John's friends and family remember him as a loving and generous man with a dry sense of humor. He was a "cool" guy who loved a wee dram of single malt, golfing, cooking fine meals, reading about history, dressing sharp, jazz music, and travel. He was a man of faith and active in the United Methodist Church, presently a member of Park City Community Church, with Pastor Tracy Hausman. John was an active volunteer for community activities including: Make A Wish/Detroit, Sandy/UT Sister City Committee, Reading Support 4th Grade South Summit Elementary/Kamas, Francis Town Planning Commission, and Habitat for Humanity. John was a tough Scotsman who fought hard for his rehabilitation following a stroke in 2015. He passed away peacefully in his home in Francis, UT, surrounded by his family and friends on the evening of April 23, 2018.
A graveside service will be held Saturday, April 28 at Larkin Sunset Gardens (1950 E. 10600 S. Sandy, UT) at 2:00 pm. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation prior to the service beginning at 12:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the Barclay Family requests donations, in memory of John Barclay and Staff Sergeant Paul Neil Barclay, to:
The Special Forces Scholarship Fund, www.sfscholarshipfund.org, or SOWF (Special Operations Warrior Foundation), https://specialops.org/ways-to-give/, PO Box 89367, Tampa, Florida 33689.
