 Barr
E. Asplundh, past president and chairman of
the board of the Asplundh Tree Expert Co.,
died on August 14, 2010 at the age of 82.
Born in Abington, Pennsylvania in 1927, Barr
was the eldest son of Griffith Asplundh, one
of three brothers who founded the Asplundh
Tree Expert Co. in 1928. The company, still
family-owned and managed, employs over
26,000 people and is the leading provider of
vegetation management services to utilities
and municipalities throughout North America,
Australia and New Zealand.
Barr joined the company part-time in 1945,
working on a tree crew in the Philadelphia
area during summer vacations. After high
school, he served in the U.S. Army 82nd
Airborne from 1946 to 1948 and then attended
the Pennsylvania State College (now
University) in State College where he earned
a bachelor’s degree in agricultural
economics in 1952. Barr came back to the
company, working his way up through the
general foreperson level to a supervisor
position in Maryland. Three years later, he
moved to Michigan to serve as a manager of
Asplundh operations and in 1958, he returned
to Pennsylvania to oversee the company’s
equipment department.
Elected vice president in 1962, Barr also
oversaw several field management regions and
six years later, he became the first of the
second generation to be elected company
president. In 1982, he was elected chairman
of the board and seven years later, retired
from day-to-day operations. Barr stepped
down as the company’s chairman in 1990, but
continued to serve on the board until 2002
and then served in an advisory capacity
until 2008 when his health began to fail.
Throughout his adult life, Barr was active
in civic organizations including the
Abington Memorial Hospital Board of
Trustees, the Wills Eye Hospital Development
Council, the Philadelphia Zoological Society
,the Bryn Athyn Zoning Board, The Highlands
Historical Society in Ft. Washington and the
Asplundh Foundation. He also served over 10
years on the board of the Huntingdon Valley
Country Club.
Barr enjoyed many outdoor hobbies. In
support of his love of salt water fishing,
he served as the Commodore of the Ocean City
Marlin and Tuna Club in New Jersey, helping
it grow from 50 members to over 1,000, and
was a member of the Ocean City Yacht Club,
the Ocean Reef Club in Florida and the
International Gamefish Association. Barr
also loved flying fixed wing aircraft,
including gliders, and was skilled in
aerobatics. He was a member of the Wings
Field Pilots’ Association in Pennsylvania
and Ocean Reef Flying Club in Florida, as
well as the Experimental Aircraft
Association, International Aerobatic Club
and the Soaring Society of America.
Horseback riding, hunting and target
shooting were hobbies he also enjoyed.
Barr is survived by his wife of over 30
years, Jeanne (nee Leedecker); a daughter,
Alex Asplundh; four grandchildren, Leah,
Kyle, Caylynn and Natalie; two
great-granddaughters, Saylor and Maeli; a
brother, Paul, who also worked for the
company for 50 years; a sister, Leone
Graham; as well as numerous cousins and
their descendants.
A memorial service will be held at The Bryn
Athyn Cathedral on Tuesday, August 17, 2010
at 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family
requests that a contribution be made in
Barr’s memory to either Angel Flight, 1501
Narcissa Rd., Blue Bell, PA 19422 or Care
Alternatives Hospice, 501 Office Center Dr.,
Suite 285, Ft. Washington, PA 19034.
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