John E. Barr, born in Scotland in 1913, learned the truth from his parents. Though shyness during his teen years made it very difficult for him to converse with people at their homes in the house-to-house work, with Jehovah’s help he overcame that obstacle. In 1939 he accepted an invitation to take up Bethel service in London. During the difficult World War II period, he served for several years as a traveling overseer, until he was asked to return to London Bethel in 1946. Twenty-one years after first becoming a member of the Bethel family, he married Mildred Willett, a zealous sister who was a graduate of Gilead School’s 11th class and who then joined him in Bethel service. In 1977 he was invited to become a member of the Governing Body. When he told Mildred, she at first thought he must be joking, but he was not. And so it was that the following year, the two of them transferred to the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. They continue to serve happily there.

[Picture on page 131]

John and Mildred Barr