Henry Barba

Henry Barba By Camille DeVaul Beloved Santa Margarita resident and World War II Veteran Henry Barba passed away on December 24 at the age of 108. It was his 81st wedding anniversary with his late wife, Jesse. Henry was born on October 19, 1913, in a home that still stands in Santa Margarita. But for the first two weeks of his life, he was known as Everett until his mother changed her mind. Henry’s parents were Mauricio Barba of San Luis Obispo and Catherine Walters of Arroyo Grande. The two married and built their home in Santa Margarita on five acres in 1900. Henry was one of seven surviving children. His parents buried six children, including Henry’s twin sister Henrietta who died during infancy. Like most in the area at the time, Henry grew up farming and ranching. As a young child, he worked on the Santa Margarita Ranch. He helped Freddy Higuera (yes, the same family as Higuera Street in SLO) put leather collars on the 10 and 20 mule teams, which pulled the harvesters. And in 1936, Henry, his cousin Juaquin Miller and a friend filled a large barn (also still standing) to the top with hay. That’s a successful hay season! Henry met his future wife, Jesse Hampton, when they were kids. Jesse’s family owned a large ranch near the Riconada Mine. Being six years Jesse’s senior, Henry would joke with her brother that one day he would marry Jesse, take over the family ranch, and throw the rest of the family off it! Henry did end up marrying Jesse, but instead of taking the family ranch, they had one child together, a son named Raymond Barba, born December 14, 1941. Henry comes from a long line of military men, going back as early as the Civil War. Many died in action and are buried in many Central Coast Cemeteries. And in 1940, it was Henry’s turn to follow in the footsteps of the men before him. He was drafted into the U.S. Army. When he heard he was drafted, it was no surprise. All he thought was, “Well, this is it.” Then Henry headed to basic training at Camp Beloved Santa Margarita resident and World War II Veteran Henry Barba passed away on December 24 at the age of 108. Contributed photo McQuaid in Watsonville. He was assigned to the 250th Coast Artillery Battery G, also known as the Glamour Boys, and off he went to Kodiak Island,

of Santa Margarita Passes at 108 Years Old

Alaska. Despite the cold, life in Kodiak wasn’t so bad. The troops lived in tents, but coffee was always hot, and they got three square meals a day. Henry, who came from poverty, was lucky to get one, sometimes two meals a day. His family didn’t take assistance or food stamps. So for someone who came from hardships like that, camp life wasn’t so bad.

In 1941 it was declared that anyone ages 29 and older was to be sent back to Seattle and discharged. Henry just missed the cut being 28 years old at the time. It turned out it didn’t matter anyway because then, on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed.

The boat turned around and headed back for Kodiak Island. One of Henry’s duties was the spotlight. At night he would scan for enemy aircraft or their artillery. The only thing was if he did spot an enemy, all anyone had were wooden guns! The island had no cannons either. Just wood phone poles made to look like guns and decoy airplanes. There were only five rifles on the entire island.

When the war finally ended in Europe, Henry felt happy and proud. When the war ended in the Pacific, where his brothers and friends were stationed, he was elated.

Henry and many others who were in the military at the time knew Japan was ready to fight for ten years on their homefront. According to Henry, the U.S. anticipated so many deaths in the Pacific and had so many Purple Heart medals made that they are still giving out medals from the same batch made in WWII. He was one of the oldest living WWII veterans in California.

One of Henry's greatest loves was baseball, specifically the Dodgers. He began listening to Dodger games on the radio when they were based in Brooklyn (1884-1957). And on October 11, 2021, he was honored at the Dodger game in Los Angeles. Henry was able to sit between home plate and third base. He even brought his childhood leather baseball glove, just in case he needed it.

Henry Barba lived through the Spanish Flu, the prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II, the fantastic 50s, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the takeover of technology, and fast times. He lived through the turn of a century, the terrorist attack on 9/11, another recession, and a second pandemic.

He will be greatly missed throughout the community, mowing his lawn and singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

Memorial services will be announced at a later date.

Health & Wellness

for Another New Year

By Camille DeVaul

Paso Robles

Health Food Stores:

Paso Robles Health Foods Natural Alternative

Fitness Centers/Gyms:

Dharma Yoga Loft Kennedy Club Fitness Park Street Pilates Thrive Training Center Iron Jungle Crossfit Ergo Crossfit Paso Robles Athlon Fitness & Performance Kamfitness Health & HIIT

Atascadero

Health Food Stores:

Harvest Health Foods Gather Natural Market Naturalypure Health Products

Fitness Centers/Gyms:

FHF Training Center Pit North Headstrong North Kennedy Club Fitness North County Pilates Fit Republic Rev SLO Fitness Saunter Yoga Studio PURE Yoga and Wellness Thrive Training Center

Templeton

Fitness Centers/Gyms:

Templeton Tennis Ranch Club Pilates VinYoga Next Level Athletes Training B elieve it or not, humans have been making New Year's resolutions for over 4,000 years. Ancient Babylonians are thought to be the first to start this tradition. Granted, instead of promising themselves that come January 1, they would start using their treadmill regularly but rather celebrated New Year's in mid-March and promised to give back whatever tools they borrowed the year prior.

The point is New Year's resolutions can happen whenever you want and be whatever you want.

If we as a society have learned anything the past two years, it's that there are no more rules. Gone are the days when we had to follow the cookie-cutter ways of doing things. In many ways, we have expanded our options of how something can be done. For example, who says that a New Year's resolution has to only be about physical health?

Let's go back to making these annual resolutions about making positive changes and improving our quality of life. Let's be nicer to our neighbors, focus on supporting local businesses and services, call our friends and family more, and look forward to quality time rather than material items.

Our health and wellness go well beyond what we put in our bellies. It is about balance, the relationships that we surround ourselves in, and doing things to make us feel our best. Rather than telling yourself, 'I have to lose 20 pounds,' say, 'I want to feel better and implement healthier lifestyle habits.'

Serve yourself by being more active and moving your body. This doesn't have to mean going to the gym and lifting five days a week. Depending on where you are in your journey, start by going for a walk once a week or exploring different methods of exercise and finding something you have fun doing.

Or maybe you struggle with digestive issues. Try diving into that by finally doing some investigation into why you are experiencing discomfort. Increase your energy by adding vitamin D to your morning routine or cutting back on your caffeine intake.

Lower your stress by getting a good night's sleep. If you need to invest in a special pillow to do that, then go ahead. You deserve it.

Most importantly, take your time making these changes. Throw the weight loss deadlines out the window and try making changes bit by bit. Everyone is different, and as they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Implementing healthier lifestyle habits and choices into your life can result in a ripple effect of good things to come. You might find new doors opening with opportunities you haven't had before.

Let's live in the moment and serve ourselves in a way that actually makes us feel good. And for once this year, let's just focus on living.

Celebrating 9 years

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