Longtime Holton barber Bob Morgan mourned
Area residents are mourning the death of a Holton barber whose presence on the south side of Holton’s Town Square spanned more than half a century.
Bob Morgan, known as “Barber Bob” to all who knew him, died Saturday night at a Topeka hospital at the age of 71. Morgan had worked as a barber in the same shop in Holton since February 1963 — more than 52 years, it was reported.
Morgan — who once claimed that there were 18 barbers in his family because “you work in a feed mill, growing up, you want to be a barber, instead of lifting 100-pound sacks” — first worked alongside Holton barber Dale Smith, then took over the shop on the south side of the Square after Smith retired 10 years later.
Since then, Morgan said, he has trimmed the hair of men from all over the country at that same location. His desire to continue to work as a barber had continued unabated in recent years, despite having struggled with colon cancer and reactions to the drugs used to treat the cancer.
Upon learning of his death, tributes to Morgan came in from near and far via social media.
“I’ve lost a friend, a great barber, and we’ve lost a great part of the history and character of the city of Holton,” said Tom Bishop of Homestead Affordable Housing, only a few doors down from Morgan’s shop on the Square.
Morgan is survived by his wife, Jane, a son, three grandchildren and his brother, Richard, a barber in Manhattan. Funeral services are set for Monday, July 6; Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Holton is in charge of arrangements.
