Earl T. Barks

Earl T. “Bing” Barks, a lifelong farmer, public servant, pastor, and community leader of Olive Township in Clinton County, Michigan, died peacefully at home on March 11, 2026. Known to nearly everyone simply as “Bing,” a nickname earned in childhood, he spent his life rooted in the land, his family, and his faith.

Born on August 27, 1933, on the family farm in Olive Township, Bing was the son of Lyle and Elsa Barks. He grew up on the farm his father purchased in 1929 during the Great Depression. From a young age he took on major responsibilities, effectively running the farm while still in high school. He attended the rural Little Olive School and later St. Johns High School, often leaving early to hitchhike home and tend to farm work. By his mid-teens he was already managing crops and livestock, and farming remained his true calling throughout his life.

In 1954 he married Mary Wendt, beginning a partnership that spanned more than seven decades. Together they raised three sons and steadily expanded their farming operation. Bing increased the family’s holdings through strategic land purchases and hard work, eventually helping grow the operation to roughly 5,000 acres in the region. He raised cattle, operated a large hog farm, and became known as a savvy and determined farmer. In 1956 he built the DeWitt Grain elevator, a venture that reflected his entrepreneurial spirit and remained a notable part of the local agricultural landscape for years.

Beyond farming, Bing devoted more than five decades to public service, serving as Olive Township supervisor for 54 years. Under his leadership the township paved more than 30 miles of roads and acquired and established its current town hall. He also played a central role in his faith community, helping to found and build the Church of Christ Restoration in St. Johns—personally leading the construction of the original building in just six weeks—and later serving as its pastor for many years. His ministry emphasized community, service, and a deep trust that God guided his decisions.

Bing remained closely tied to the land and the people around him throughout his long life. He witnessed enormous changes in farming and rural life yet kept the same practical outlook and quiet humor that defined him from the beginning. In his later years he gradually passed daily farming responsibilities to the next generation while remaining active in township affairs and church life.

He is survived by his wife of more than seventy-two years, Mary; their sons, Earl “Tuff” (Kathy) Barks, Eric (Margaret) Barks, and Erron “Yogi” (Marie) Barks; grandchildren Amber (Jason) Denovich, Jason (Sarah) Barks, Alissa (Erik) Hall, RaeAnn (Lucus) Olger, and Nick “Zippy” Barks; and great-grandchildren Owen, Axel, and Thea Denovich, Declan Hall, and Daisy Jane, who is on the way. He was preceded in death by his granddaughter Mindy Spilling and his sister Edna Harrison.