Family, friends honor man who was murdered last year

TUNNELTON — The friends and family of Philip “Bucky” Barlow gathered Saturday to remember the good person he was and pray for justice in his murder one year ago.
“Justice for Bucky,” has become a slogan for those who knew and loved him, and they won’t let anyone forget him.
But Saturday was about more than that, said Michele Bucklew, Barlow’s niece.
“Today I hope that we take away the fond memories,” she said before the gathering. “I hope everybody gets to share stories, things that he did or that they did with him.”
“He was an awesome uncle,” Bucklew said. They spent a lot of time together as she grew up and as an adult lived along the same road and saw him often.
“He always made me laugh. We had good times, Bucklew said. She recalled his skill roller skating at the Craig Civic Center.
Barlow’s friend of more than 50 years, Bob Sheets, said Barlow “was a good person. He didn’t bother anybody. Real nice guy. He tried to help people out.”
Both truck drivers, the two men worked together at different times in their careers and were co-workers last year. Barlow, 61, had already told their employer, Hillside Trucking, he would be taking his retirement in September 2019. He planned to move to Indiana, Sheets said.
But on May 29, 2019, Barlow disappeared. A man of routine, he was to start his shift at
1 a.m. His family had last heard from him 11:30 p.m. the previous day.
“He was a hardworking guy, so when he didn’t show up for work, we knew something was wrong,” Bucklew said. “When he said he would be somewhere, he was there.”
Barlow’s burnt pickup was discovered on Shower Bath Road early on the 29th. On June 8, hunters training their dogs discovered his body in the remote Fortney Mills area, miles from where his truck was left. No arrests have been made in his murder.
“Bucky was a nice guy. This, what happened, was totally unnecessary, and I think that we need to find justice. I think this needs to be solved and this case closed and whoever is guilty needs to pay for this,” Sheets said. “They took a friend and family man away from people, and I think justice needs served.”
Anyone with information about Barlow’s death is asked to call the Preston County Sheriff’s Department at 304-329-1611.
TWEET@DominionPostWV