Mary Evelyn (Barker) Herman

Mary Evelyn Barker Herman, surrounded by her sons, daughter-in-law, and husband, passed away peacefully Tuesday evening, August 20, 2019, at Baptist Hospital following a brief illness.  She was born December 2, 1948, in Iredell County, daughter of Bristol Coles Barker and Flora Lee Harrington Barker.  Mrs. Herman attended Scotts High School where she played basketball and drove a bus route.  Upon graduation she remained in Statesville subsequently working thirty years in the City of Statesville’s utilities department.  Retiring to spend more time with her pre-teen twin sons, she soon found a new calling teaching in the Exceptional Children’s Program in the Statesville Iredell School System.  Through natural ability, learning on the job with several excellent mentors, and taking the required courses and workshops through Mitchell Community College, she passed the State tests to be certified as “Well Qualified.”  Her students and co-workers became a second family as she became an advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities.  She retired from this position in 2007.

Throughout an extended courtship, engagement, and marriage she also supported her husband’s, professional, civic, and avocational pursuits.  They opened the Herman Art Gallery in December of 1969 which provided a space for regional artists to display their original works enhancing the community’s cultural assets.  That venture achieved its goals for over thirty years.  The gallery also hosted instructors for both children’s and adult classes taught by well know artist/teachers.

Evelyn became an advocate, along with her husband, for historic preservation and protection of the built environment.  During their marriage they restored two Victorian homes in the Mitchell College Historic District and continued to enjoy “antiquing” trips to accent their homes with period pieces.  Evelyn’s last purchase was only one week prior to her passing.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her infant sister Carolyn and her brother Jerry Ned Barker.  She is survived by her husband of forty-six years, Stephen G. Herman, twin sons Benjamin B. Herman (Rachel) and Chadwick B. Herman, and granddaughter Briar E. Herman.  Also surviving are her brother Hugh Coles Barker (Betty), niece Cindy Cascaddon (Tony), great niece and nephew Kryssy Hensley (Brian) and Dusty Wilson (Jennifer).  Additionally, she is survived by great- great nieces Peneplope and Summer Wilson, and great-great nephew Kolton Hensley.

Friends and family are invited to an informal visitation at Troutman Funeral Home in downtown Troutman on Saturday, August 24, 2019, from 1:30 to 3:00, followed by burial at 4:00 p.m. in Catawba Memorial Gardens in Newton, NC.  She will rest next to her beloved mother-in-law Ruth Steele Herman and father-in-law Duffy E. Herman, for whom she provided care during the last eight years of his life.  Those wishing to attend this brief graveside farewell are welcome.  

Condolences may be sent on line to the family at www.troutmanfuneralhome.com and memorials may be given in lieu of flowers to the Mitchell Community College Endowment for Excellence (MCCEE), or a charity of your choice.  The family wants to thank everyone for their kind thoughts, prayers, and wishes during this sudden time of bereavement.        

Troutman Funeral Home is serving the family of Mrs. Evelyn Herman.           

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