The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Retired IT specialist pursued adventure
Wilderness explorer embraced high-tech sport of geocaching.
When wilderness lover and hiker Pete Barile learned about geocaching seven years ago, he figured this outdoorsy, hightech hide-and-seek game was made for him.
Armed with global positioning satellite devices, geocachers hunt for “treasure” — a logbook hidden by a previous finder. Then the successful geocacher enters his or her own name and returns the log to its hiding place for hunters who follow.
It’s a 21st-century sport that has quickly gained an estimated 5 million enthusiasts around the globe. Mr. Barile liked to play it in national and state parks from one end of the United States to the other, plus in the wilds of Ireland and New Zealand.
All told, he had an impressive 1,500 certified finds, said his sister-inlaw, Karen Heck of Boca Raton, Fla. “Geocaching really appealed to his adventurous spirit,” she added.
His most recent find was in June 2011 on a swinging bridge on the slope of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
Mr. Barile made a point of exploring all of Georgia’s state parks over the years. His stepson, Steve Beck of Sausalito, Calif., said it was Mr. Barile’s ambition to see all of America’s national parks as well, and up until a week ago he had visited 35 of them.
He also was excited about being accepted for a stint later this year as a volunteer park ranger at the Muir Woods National Monument in California, his stepson said.
Peter Charles Barile, 65, of Louisville died April 22 in a three-car accident on Gordon Highway in Augusta. His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Church of the Apostles, 3585 Northside Parkway N.W., in Atlanta. Interment with full military honors will follow at the Georgia National Cemetery, Canton. Taylor Funeral Home Louisville is in charge of arrangements.
As an Air Force enlistee, Mr. Barile served in Korea during the 1960s and as an Air Force reservist in Germany in 1991.
Mr. Barile was a longtime Gwinnett County resident, having lived for 10 years in Snellville and 20 years in Lilburn. He was an analyst and information-technology specialist for the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services office in downtown Atlanta.
“Whenever a computer problem arose, Pete was the first person we called, our go-to guy,” said Jess Spillers of Portland, Ore., a former colleague.
Upon Mr. Barile’s retirement in 2009, he and his wife of 24 years, Marcia Ann Beck Barile, moved from Lilburn to Louisville. She died last year of cancer.
His stepson said Mr. Barile loved to read, especially histories and biographies. He was interested in writing, too, and took courses at Augusta State University in literature and creative writing.
Moved by the plight of Native Americans who lost their ancestral homelands, Mr. Barile “read all he could about them,” his stepson said, “and he acquired a collection of kachina dolls and contributed to Native American charities.”
A Florida State University graduate, Mr. Barile was a fervent Seminoles fan. For 25 years he was a season ticket holder for the football team’s home games, said a fellow alum and friend, Art Castle of Coral Gables, Fla.
Survivors include his mother, Doris Heck of Boca Raton, Fla.; a stepsister, Sally Marinello of Boca Raton; two other stepsons, Matthew Barile of Smyrna and Carl Beck Jr. of Commerce; two half brothers, Bill Heck of Boca Raton and Bob Heck of Plantation, Fla.; and three stepgrandchildren.