John Edward Barlup, 76, of Bellefontaine, died Sunday, March 19, 2017, at his daughter’s home in Columbus following a short illness.
He was born in Bellefontaine on Aug. 19, 1940, to the late W.H. and Jane Sponsler Barlup. He also was preceded in death by his sister, Judy Wolford.
He is survived by his son, Brian (Jennifer) Barlup of Bexley; his daughter, Cindy Barlup of Columbus; four grandchildren, Jimmy Barlup, Morgan Burris and Macy and Marlee Liles; great-grandson, Maddox Coleman; and a lifelong Navy and car-racing buddy, Ron Crane.
He was a Vietnam-era Navy veteran (1963 to 1969), serving as an airplane electrician, and sailed on the USS Saratoga and the USS Intrepid. In his civilian life, John was a railroad engineer for Conrail, a supervisor at Magma Copper in San Manuel, Ariz., and held several sales positions.
John’s love of driving fast and American-made cars led him to the National Hot Rod Association and a successful career as a race-car driver. Never one to go lightly into anything, he approached the track with the same passion. Driving was not his pastime; it was his obsession. He built his own engines, did his own bodywork and demanded the same perfection of his cars that he wanted from everything else in life. Some of his favorites were his 1968 Camaro and his 1957 Chevrolet.
He had won dozens of trophies and the highlight of his career was winning his NHRA Class at the 1975 Grand Nationals in Kansas City.
A lifelong gun lover and an excellent marksman, John was proud of his gun collection and loved to learn all he could about ammunition and was always studying how to be a better shot.
The best time of his life was the more than a decade he spent living in southeast Arizona. He loved the Old West, the weather, and all that the desert had to offer. The old ghost towns appealed to the history-buff side of him. So, too, did old movies and westerns.
Following his wishes, John was cremated and there will be a private memorial service for close friends and family at his son’s home at a later date. Those who loved him suggest that if you want to honor John’s memory, maybe donate a book in his name at your local library. He especially loved the Columbus Main Library and grew up visiting the Logan County District Library in Bellefontaine.