At the age of 75, Art passed away peacefully in his sleep at Bethesda Place in Steinbach. Left to mourn his passing are wife Elizabeth (nee Loewen) of 51 years and 7 children, daughter Joyce (John Sawatzky), son Bill (Nettie), son Norman, son Tim (Bernice), daughter Tina (Wayne Konowalchuk), son Vic, and son Joe (Laura), as well as 16 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Also, Art will be missed by his 3 sisters and 1 brother, Dorothy (Pete Regehr), Florence Goertzen, Irene (John Martens, and Elmer (Helen). He was predeceased by his parents, 2 sisters, 2 brothers, a brother-in-law, a son, and a grand-daughter. Art was born in Steinbach in 1932, the first child of Jacob and Minna Barkman. He married Elizabeth in Tilsenburg, Ontario in the summer of 1956. They moved back to Steinbach to start a family and Art made a living driving truck for various companies. Even in his last days he fondly remembered being behind the wheel. After a few years in the Steinbach area, the Barkman family moved to Northwestern Ontario, before returning in 1972, finally settling on Greenland Road. Art enjoyed playing cards games with his children, especially cribbage. He always looked forward to the Granny’s Poultry baseball tournament and he was an avid pool player. The family wishes to thank the caring staff at Bethesda Place for all the extra attention Art received during his residence since December 2003. Great thanks also to Harry Schaap for his friendship and prayers during these final months. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, December 14 at the Evangelical Mennonite church, Blumenort with interment at the Blumenort EMC Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made in his name to the Bethesda Foundation Chaplaincy Fund.