Barbee 'true friend' to El Campo
Editor, the Leader-News:

It is with great sadness to learn of Fred Barbee's untimely passing. The Barbee family has lost a great husband, father, father in-law, and grandfather. The city of El Campo has lost one of her favorite sons and the citizens of this community have lost a dear friend.

Fred Barbee was a true friend to everyone in the city of El Campo especially to our husband and father, the late Roy P. Benavidez. Fred met Roy during the 1970s after learning about his recommendation for our nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor. As many of you know, Fred Barbee and the El Campo Leader-News were credited with cutting through the bureaucratic red tape which led to Roy receiving the Medal of Honor in 1981.

From the time of Roy's first meeting with Fred Barbee until Roy's passing in 1998, these two men developed a friendship that will now last forever in eternity. Fred was always there to lend his ear and listen to Roy talk about his family, his fellow veterans and our nation's troubled youths. Our family has always valued Fred's honesty and his friendship. The stories we share amongst each other are priceless. Now they are memories that we will always cherish for the rest of our lives.

To Peggy, Chris, Carol, David, Kathy, Karon, Larren, Kelly, Jonathan, Julie, Ashley and Airen, our family would like to thank you for giving us a kind spirited man who we admired, respected and loved. We will forever cherish the friendship that we developed with Mr. Barbee and his extended family and we will forever be in debt to him for taking Roy P. Benavidez and his family under his wing.

It is sad to know that Fred is physically gone from this earth; nevertheless, his spirit will forever grace the Pearl of the Prairie.

With warmest regards, Noel Benavidez on behalf of Hilaria "Lala" Benavidez, Denise

Prochazka & Yvette Garcia