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Book: Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal by Ann Rule
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Authors: Ann Rule
Tags: Fiction, General, True Crime, Biography, Georgia, Murder, Case studies, Investigation, Murder victims
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tall, a star athlete who was offered a basketball scholarship to Florida Southern University in Bradenton, Florida, where the elder Barbers eventually settled.
Although Max extolled Narda’s cooking, he would always tease her that she couldn’t equal his mother when it came to banana pudding and lemon meringue pie.
Narda Upton was the only child born to career Army Colonel William F. Upton and her mother, Sylvia. Her father was forty-five and her mother thirty-three when she was born. Home base for them was a farm in Derry, New Hampshire, but the service family traveled a great deal, and both Narda’s parents were assigned to the Pentagon when she was a small girl.
“My dad retired when I was quite young,” she remembered. “And then we really traveled. They bought an Airstream trailer and we went all around America, so I got to see a lot of the country. Eventually, they bought our home on Lido Quay in the Bay of Mexico off Sarasota, Florida.”
It was in January 1964 when Max first met Narda. He was two years older and about nine inches taller than the bubbly girl with lovely eyes and thick wavy hair.
“The first time I saw her, she was dancing with someone at a sock hop in Bradenton, Florida. I had a date that evening, and she was a friend of Narda’s and she introduced Narda to me. It was like magic immediately! The beauty, the voice, the composure she possessed. Narda, her date, my date, and I left the dance together. I believe we went to McDonald’s in Sarasota. I was the driver that night, and I deliberately drove Narda home last. I remember well walking her to the front door of her home and thanking her for the company. The following day, I had plans to drive to Tampa to watch the cars race at the Tampa Dragway, and I was already planning how to see her again.”
Narda had mentioned on the night of the sock hop that she would be taking the bus to St. Petersburg, where she was attending college.
“I wanted to know more about her,” Max said, “so I looked up her phone number and called her. When she answered the phone, we made small talk and then I asked if she would like to accompany me to the races and said I would take her to school from there. She told me that her parents would have to approve, and that she would ask them. They agreed to meet me and talk with me about driving Narda to school by way of Tampa.”
Narda’s father was very cautious about who his daughter dated. Max Barber remembered the grilling he got from the colonel, who virtually interrogated him military-style about his intentions toward Narda. Her father wanted to be sure Max was a safe driver, and an honorable young man.
Max barely remembered answering. “I was so smitten with Narda. As I recall, we had a wonderful day.”
Narda felt a strong attraction to Max from the moment they met, just as he was captivated by her. Neither of them wanted to date anyone else. They continued to date for several months before marrying, on January 28, 1964. They were young and the whole world lay ahead of them.
Max had a good job, and despite his gentle manner, his sincerity shone through, making him a great salesman. He moved up through increasingly prestigious positions at Sears—specializing in “hard merchandise,” big-ticket appliances like refrigerators, washers, and dryers. Sears transferred its managers frequently, and the Barbers would live in many cities: Sarasota, Florida; Augusta, Georgia; Bowling Green, Kentucky; High Point, North Carolina; Columbus, Cleveland, and Westerville, Ohio.
Shaun Rajel, their first daughter, was born in Sarasota in 1966. Five years later, Jennifer Monique arrived in Bowling Green. She was born on January 25, 1971, and then Heather Nicole came along in High Point, North Carolina, in September 1974.
After so many years and so many cities, the Barbers moved to Gwinnett County, Georgia, to a neighborhood of young families in Lawrenceville. Their split-level home was new, built with similar houses on
Although Max extolled Narda’s cooking, he would always tease her that she couldn’t equal his mother when it came to banana pudding and lemon meringue pie.
Narda Upton was the only child born to career Army Colonel William F. Upton and her mother, Sylvia. Her father was forty-five and her mother thirty-three when she was born. Home base for them was a farm in Derry, New Hampshire, but the service family traveled a great deal, and both Narda’s parents were assigned to the Pentagon when she was a small girl.
“My dad retired when I was quite young,” she remembered. “And then we really traveled. They bought an Airstream trailer and we went all around America, so I got to see a lot of the country. Eventually, they bought our home on Lido Quay in the Bay of Mexico off Sarasota, Florida.”
It was in January 1964 when Max first met Narda. He was two years older and about nine inches taller than the bubbly girl with lovely eyes and thick wavy hair.
“The first time I saw her, she was dancing with someone at a sock hop in Bradenton, Florida. I had a date that evening, and she was a friend of Narda’s and she introduced Narda to me. It was like magic immediately! The beauty, the voice, the composure she possessed. Narda, her date, my date, and I left the dance together. I believe we went to McDonald’s in Sarasota. I was the driver that night, and I deliberately drove Narda home last. I remember well walking her to the front door of her home and thanking her for the company. The following day, I had plans to drive to Tampa to watch the cars race at the Tampa Dragway, and I was already planning how to see her again.”
Narda had mentioned on the night of the sock hop that she would be taking the bus to St. Petersburg, where she was attending college.
“I wanted to know more about her,” Max said, “so I looked up her phone number and called her. When she answered the phone, we made small talk and then I asked if she would like to accompany me to the races and said I would take her to school from there. She told me that her parents would have to approve, and that she would ask them. They agreed to meet me and talk with me about driving Narda to school by way of Tampa.”
Narda’s father was very cautious about who his daughter dated. Max Barber remembered the grilling he got from the colonel, who virtually interrogated him military-style about his intentions toward Narda. Her father wanted to be sure Max was a safe driver, and an honorable young man.
Max barely remembered answering. “I was so smitten with Narda. As I recall, we had a wonderful day.”
Narda felt a strong attraction to Max from the moment they met, just as he was captivated by her. Neither of them wanted to date anyone else. They continued to date for several months before marrying, on January 28, 1964. They were young and the whole world lay ahead of them.
Max had a good job, and despite his gentle manner, his sincerity shone through, making him a great salesman. He moved up through increasingly prestigious positions at Sears—specializing in “hard merchandise,” big-ticket appliances like refrigerators, washers, and dryers. Sears transferred its managers frequently, and the Barbers would live in many cities: Sarasota, Florida; Augusta, Georgia; Bowling Green, Kentucky; High Point, North Carolina; Columbus, Cleveland, and Westerville, Ohio.
Shaun Rajel, their first daughter, was born in Sarasota in 1966. Five years later, Jennifer Monique arrived in Bowling Green. She was born on January 25, 1971, and then Heather Nicole came along in High Point, North Carolina, in September 1974.
After so many years and so many cities, the Barbers moved to Gwinnett County, Georgia, to a neighborhood of young families in Lawrenceville. Their split-level home was new, built with similar houses on
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