from Dave Barry: a note from Jack Gannon, Akron

_________________
Hi Dave,

We combined the Memorial Meeting with a return of a soldier from the war zone and our Carol's 50th birthday celebration (come from Colorado)

This was a Bill-type approval gathering!

PS (wish you were here)
_________________




from Dave: The white-haired man is Jack
_______________

some photos from dorothy albertini

from susan brunasso, OLA parishoner

2 emails received from cynthia carlin:

Dear Susan:

Thank you so much for your return call. I am sure this mission you have taken on is consuming tremendous amounts of your time, and I among many, really do appreciate it.

I just discovered that Monsignor Barry has moved to his Heavenly Home this afternoon as for some reason, I decided to check the Easter Sunday schedule at OLA on line. He holds a very special place in my life as it was his direction at OLA that brought me back to the Catholic Church after 20 years away. I always marveled at the fact that you knew he was in the Church even before you saw him ....... a presence that made Faith such an easy thing to follow. He was certainly one of the rare and special of God's people........ and it is wonderful to think that he (as one of the article's described it) answered God's call on his knees easily and peacefully.

I have been in Lake Arrowhead for the last 16 years ------- but never fail to think of him as I drive through Claremont.

Thank you again so much.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Carley
......................................................................................................................



after the funeral (from the DVD)

.......................................................................................................................

Dear Susan:

Thanks so much for sending the DVD ...... I am looking forward to some quiet reflection time to see it and reflect on how fortunate we all were to have him in our lives!

I am happy to have you share my story with anyone you think is appropriate..... we have so few people in life who make that kind of a strong impact .... and he truly did make my return to the Church a comfortable one....... I was one of those who struggled with Vatican II after 12 years of Catholic education ... and when I found I couldn't embrace all of the precepts, I pulled away. OLA offered a place of tradition, reverence and change ..... and his warmth and presence made me realize all I had been missing. i will be forever grateful.

Thank you again -- OLA is fortunate to have you as well ...... this is a large burden and I am sure everyone is very grateful.

Sincerely,

Cynthia

Cynthia Carley Broker Associate Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty
.....................................



at the end of the funeral (from the DVD)
.....................................

text of nancy barry's talk at the funeral

Fr bill and my dad were both great models of men in pursuit of God. But there was a difference. My dad, Jack Barry, devoted a lot of his time to our family. For Father Bill, everyone he met became family. And he asked me to tell each of you personally that, while he loved us all, you were his favorite.

What a great man. Father Bill took on the big issues, marching with Cesar Chavez, heading the priest's council, creating ways for lay people to build their participation and voice in the church, taking on issues of peace and justice, building the work of Catholic Charities.. If Father Bill had not made some choices to act, some of us think we would have been a bishop.

Instead he showed us all what it means to be a priest and human being imitating the life of christ. He was always there, always open, never judging, always faithful and loyal to the church. How many of us did Father Bill baptize, counsel before marriage, and console in times of pain and grief. His heart was so huge it could hold all our sorrows and you could see it expand with our joys.

And Fr Bill seemed to be there for each of us at once- -friends and family. How did he make it for every special event in our lives? This was a man who tested the limits of how many homes in Claremont and Pasadena and Newport and Barstow--and sometimes Akron or Boston--you can hit for Thanksgiving and Christmas..

He made every one he knew feel special. Were we all really that gorgeous, that accomplished, that wonderful? He made me want to become the person that he thought I already was. He saw the goodness, the potential, the uniqueness in each of us. He made us want to be our best person.

And Fr Bill showed us what it means to be a child of God. Father Bill approached every day with wonder and real joy, or as he would say, with fun, fun, fun. He loved his boats, his priest pals, his family--and on vacations to mexico and hawaii and catalina, he taught many a Barry how to mix a lot of blarney with a little skill to win a gin game.

With the passing of Fr Bill, many of us now have three fathers who art in heaven, watching over us, beckoning us to be our best selves, and showing us the way. We have God the Father, our own fathers and sweet Father Bill.

Thank you, God for giving us Father Bill, as a source of love and light in our lives. We will practice what we have learned from him. We will trust that we are in the palm of your hand. We will focus on fulfilling your purpose for us on this earth. We will cherish each other and enjoy the ride!.

upon receipt of susan brunasso's DVD

What a remarkable piece of work!

Such a record, of a life, of a morning, of an amazing convocation. Thank you, Susan. Anyone who knew Father Bill will feel his presence and spirit and great life effort. The music is clear. The framing is sensitive and informative. The editing is considerate, yet confident, and nothing important is missed.

If you haven't gotten a copy yet, I suggest you do.

There's a web address at the OLA site (with a clickable link at the bottom of the page), and a mailing address in a previous posting.

Here are a few screen captures from this dynamic and moving experience:

a note from dave barry

Memo: From Dave Barry
To: Friends
Subject: Monsignor William J. Barry

As you know Father Bill passed away on March 18, 2007. Although it was sudden, it was not a total surprise. His health had been waning.

This message is to give you a summary of the service that was given in his honor at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Claremont, CA. His last major duty was as Pastor of this church and he maintained contact with his successor and many of the parishioners even though his place in Newport Beach was a good hour away.

Cardinal Roger Mahony was the presider, concelebrating with Msgr. Thomas Welbers and fellow clergy. Two hundred priests participated and the total crowd was estimated at 1000. Additional chairs were installed outside the church and the overflow folks witnessed the service on a large screen.

Nephews and nieces participated in different phases of the mass as pall bearers and in various roles in the mass. I have a few copies of the printed program and will be happy to send on if you are interested.

Words of Remembrance were delivered by Monsignor Gregory Cox, Bill Barry (brother Bob's son), myself, and Nancy Barry (Jack's daughter) The song, "You'll Never Know" (how much we love you) was sung by the whole congregation. This was one of Father Bill's favorites and he encouraged the singing of it often.

There five boys in the family. Bob, Dave, Bill, Ted, and Jack. When brother Jack died several years ago, that left Father Bill and me as the last of the five. Bob, Ted, and Jack made it into their 70's. It's easy to rationalize why Father Bill was saved for the last (Mother died sixteen days after Jack was born and Dad died at age 57) but the mystery will always be why the good Lord has allowed me to be the last to go. No complaints, understand. I relish each day.

Bill was a joy and inspiration. I may have known him better than any of the other brothers. He and I were paper boys together, delivering the Pasadena Star News to residential customers in South Pasadena. He later joined me at Cal Berkeley for my last year and shortly after went into the priesthood. He also joined me on quite a few of our offshore seminars and several trips to places like Antigua and Barbados when we were selecting the hotel for the next seminar. He pulled me out of the lows several times when I was up against the haycutter and didn't know how or when I would overcome whatever battle I was going through. He told me that no matter how much of a load I was under the Lord would always give me the power to overcome it. He was right.

Bill showed me a slice of life I never knew about when he took me to Catalina Island on his sail boat for a weekend. That convinced me to learn how to sail, and I did. Some years later, when I bought my second sail boat, a Tartan 34, Bill joined our family for its maiden cruise from Plymouth, MA, through the Cape Cod Canal to our new mooring in Padanaram. He blessed the boat and said a Mass for our whole family before taking off. Operating a 34 foot boat is quite different than our previous 24 footer and Bill coached me into a dock for an overnight stay on the way. He said, "Do what I tell you to do and act like you've been doing it all your life." Needless to say, he got us off to a good start.

I think Bill figured he was blessed being a member of the Barry family. He probably had more to do with bringing the family together than any of the other brothers. His answer was always "yes". He married the three youngest brothers. He baptized most of the children. He conducted the funeral service for Dad, Bob, Ted, Jack, LaPriel (Bob's first wife), Dorothy (my wife) and probably others I can't recall. He treated Betty Jane as a member of the family. She's the daughter of Bess, Dad's sister, who came to live with us after our Mother died. Bill loved all of his relatives, near and far. He performed marriages, baptisms and other religious services for relatives in Ohio and New York state or wherever. He was the link that kept the family close.

I alluded to some of these items in my eulogy at Bill's funeral mass, but Cardinal Mahony set the standard for length of time and Bill would not have approved my exceeding it.

Finally, I am privileged to have been his brother. He has touched more lives with his kindness and love than anyone I have ever known, and has set a standard for all of us who knew him well.

from father tom welbers of OLA: pictures from 2/28/07

Dear Michael and Ted,

As I was preparing my camera for the trip to Turkey, I realized I had some pictures in it of the day I spent with Bill on Wednesday, Feb 28 just two weeks before he died.

The people in the pictures are Gerry Cimino, Tom and Ellen Roach, Aggie and Joe Kutyla, and Fr. Mike Maher.

Enjoy. I'll be leaving the parish this afternoon, and flying to Turkey early tomorrow morning. Will be back "in the saddle" April 30.

from father tom welbers and thanh nguyen

Dear Michael and Ted,

Today I got this email from Thanh Nguyen of the OLA Vietnamese community.

Click on the link to find the pictures (and a nice renditionof "You'll never know...").

Also, you should be getting a copy of the Funeral Mass on DVD from Susan Brunasso.

I have put an order form for the DVD on the OLA website. there's a link on the homepage, or youcan access it directly at

http://www.olaclaremont.org/resources/WJB_DVD.pdf

Blessings and peace always.

Fr. Tom Welbers



----- Original Message ----- From: "T. Nguyen"
To:
Sent: Friday, April 06, 2007 8:57 AM
Subject: Photos from Msgr. Barry funeral mass


Hi Fr. Tom,

The photos I took on that day are at:

http://causa.homeip.net/mancoi/msgrbarry

If you are interested in the large size originals, I can put them on a
CD for you.

Thanh Nguyen.

(clickable links to OLA DVD order form and thanh's photo page (wonderful pictures!) at bottom of page)

more from the brunassos

a story on the funeral ceremony in yesterday's claremont-courier.

at:

http://www.claremont-courier.com/pages/Topstory032807.1.html

(clickable link at bottom of page)

from the story:

'After celebrating the Eucharist and singing songs of praise, several of Msgr. Barry’s closest friends and relatives offered words of remembrance.

“Father Bill seemed to be there for each of us, friends and family, all at once,” said Nancy Barry, Msgr. Barry’s niece. “This was a man who tested the limits of how many homes you could hit in Claremont, Pasadena and Newport, and sometimes even Boston and Akron in a single Thanksgiving or Christmas weekend.”

They also brought the nearly one thousand visitors to laughter while reminiscing about Msgr. Barry’s seeming ability to be in several places at once, his political views and the excessive number of speeding tickets he accrued over the years.

“He might be the priest in the archdiocese to get a PhD at traffic school,” said Msgr. Gregory Cox. “But he did this because he wanted to be with his people and be at every event as the presence of the church.”'

from the brunassos: For the Fr Bill Barry Blog ~ 2 photos of Msgr Barry from the OLA Fiesta

above ~Pete Stella with Monsignor William Barry

Fun ~ Fun ~ Fun



Fabulous Good Times
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monsignor William Barry was indeed a loving and joyful man, that I and my family had the privilege of knowing as parishioners at OLA over the last 21 years.
We feel truly blessed to have known him and blessed to have had the pleasure of being at some of his charitable events at his Newport Beach house.

Peace and Love
Mike, Susan,
Jonathan and Christopher
Brunasso ;-)
909-596-0542

Believe and together we can make a difference
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do all the good you can,
in all the ways you can,
as long as ever you can.
-John Wesley
...................................................................................
Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, "I will be bigger than you.
You cannot defeat me."
................................................
You shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.

-Anne Frank

http://www.mayyoubeblessedmovie.com/
http://www.llangley.com/yoga/wisdom/rightnow[2].htm

http://www.rctm.com/showfile.php?filename=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rctm.com%2F%2Fuploads%2Ffile-3930.wmv&filetype=video

from susan brunasso, OLA parishoner

I was given your email by OLA and was told to send this to you for your FYI.

Monsignor Barry's Funeral Service DVD price is $ 15.00 plus tax,
total is $16.23

20% proceeds go toward Monsignor Barry's two funds mentioned in the bulletin, OLA Church Building Fund & Catholic Charities LA.

Local FREE delivery service within a 3 mile radius of OLA Claremont.

But if needed, a shipping & Handling charge will be an additional $5.95

*Please make checks payable to: Susan Brunasso

Cash or check only at this point in time.
Please send check to:

Susan G. Brunasso / Classic Elegance
1359 Briarcroft Road
Claremont Ca. 91711

Contact information below via phone & email.

Also with the OLA bulletin back section.

Thank YOU
Susan G. Brunasso
...............................................................................................

909-596-0542 or email sgbmgb@aol.com

*Please make checks payable to: Susan Brunasso

from kathi albertini

photos from friday funeral services on snapfish:

http://www2.snapfish.com/shareereg/p=16261174949677236/l=254982987/g=27646797/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB/pns/share/p=16261174949677236/l=254982987/g=27646797/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB



many good people pictures of family members and others.

(clickable link at bottom of page)

from father tom welbers of OLA

Dear Mike,

You may want to put a link to OLA's homepage on the blog. http://www.olaclaremont.org . As we change the homepage, there will remain a link to Msgr. Bill's stuff for some time. Obviously he's featured in this week's parish bulletin.

Also the Claremont Courier published a feature obituary yesterday. http://www.claremont-courier.com/pages/obituaries.html It may archived in a few days, so check back from time to time. If it's not at that address, it may be at: http://www.claremont-courier.com/pages/archives.html The Courier is under new management, and they are still learning . . .

Regarding the pictures that were hanging at the reception, those collages were mostly put together by Sr. Feliz, and maybe some others. They were at Fr. Bill's house, and I think were brought here by Ted. I'm not sure what the current plans are for them, but I'm quite sure we are planning to make digital copies, when time permits. Contact our Communications Director, Jean McKenna, for a better answer: bulletin@olaclaremont.org . She also has quite a few more pictures.

I have also asked Susan Brunasso, who, along Mike her husband, did the video for the funeral, to contact you. She is planning to make DVDs available. I've asked her to contact you about publicizing them, but you might want to try getting in touch with her yourself: SGBMGB@aol.com.

Hope this helps. Blessings always,

Fr. Tom
___________
(all websites mentioned have clickable links at the bottom of the page. cc obituary no longer found on feature pages)

from jim stoneman

excerpts from his letter:

Attached is the picture, which I am now almost certain is from 1969, the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Fr. Bill's ordination, and I am pretty sure that he was made a monsignor at that time. I call this picture "back in the day". The picture depicts the original configuration of the altar when he came to OLA, along with the tapestry of Our Lady of the Assumption, and the solid brass candlesticks that were original equipment for the church. Just along his right arm, you can see gold brocade, which is the tabernacle cover. Shortly after this picture was taken, Fr. Bill implemented changes to the sanctuary. Fr. Bill had the original altar cut down and installed facing the people, to comply with Vatican II requirements. He was very interested in preserving a link to the past, and that is why he wanted to use the same block of marble, just cutting it down to make it a smaller altar. If you want to know about subsequent modifications to the sanctuary that he implemented, involving the current altar, tabernacle, candlesticks, etc., let me know. He commissioned those from a local artist, Gerry Mahoney, and they were somewhat controversial at the time. "Star Wars" was the term that certain parishioners used to describe the current tabernacle when they first saw it. These changes are his greatest legacy in terms of the focal points of liturgical celebration in our church. Maybe a story for another time.

Anyway, at the time of his elevation to Monsignor, there was quite a buzz that he would soon be a bishop. Of course, as one of your family members pointed out, his propensity to involve himself in every cause he possibly could may have been the end of that. Anyway, on his 25th, the parish chipped in for a new maroon 1969 Ford LTD, complete with a 390 cubic inch V-8, if I recall correctly. You probably remember it. We were fortunate to have a parishioner who owned the local Ford dealership, and it seemed like Fr. Bill had a new car every year or two, but this one was special. I do recall one trip in that car. While coming back up to Claremont from some teen trip in Newport, he was driving his customary 60-70 mph through the curves of Brea Canyon Road. The tires started squealing as he went through the turns, but he wasn't slowing down. I was riding shotgun and this was probably 1970. I was looking around, since we also had 3 other teens in the back seat. Fr. Bill just looked over at me and said "I think the air pressure is a little low in the right front tire, don't you?" But he didn't really slow down.
_______________
I want you and your family to know that it was an absolute pleasure meeting you and the other members of your family. Your family's reflections during the funeral really were the high point of the ceremony as far as I was concerned. David Barry's comments were very illuminating regarding the genesis of Fr. Bill's vocation and it was an absolute blessing that everyone had the opportunity to hear him. Nancy Barry's comments completely captured the essence of Fr. Bill, and I am sure that her insight brought many to tears, including me.

Thank you for your kind comments about the music. Brian Carlson was our music leader at the funeral. He initiated the folk music program at OLA, I think when he was in the elementary school. The really important music at the funeral was not instrumental. It was the congregational singing. That is what was important to Fr. Bill after Vatican II, and it was a real challenge. Fr. Bill didn't want performance musicians, he wanted musicians who could inspire congregational participation. Brian was a particular spark of congregational participation at many masses with his great folk leadership. At Fr. Bill's funeral, the congregation sang so loud that Brian said he couldn't even hear his own guitar at times. I felt that only myself and some of the priests around us could even hear the piano. Fr. Bill must have heard and must be happy that our congregation has made its transition from "silent to singing."
__________________

from kevin barry

After you left we went to the grave site and cousin Ted gave a nice talk
about how Fr. Bill was the glue that held us all together and that we
need to keep his spirit alive by staying in touch.
Thanks for starting it with the blog.

Cat ran across this obit on the Tidings website. It's one of the best.

http://www.the-tidings.com/2007/032307/barrymain.htm
(clickable link at bottom of page)
picture from the tidings article

from father tom welbers of OLA

Dear Mike,

Here are some emails that I received with tributes to Fr. Bill. Post them on the blog if you wish. Blessings,

Fr. Tom Welbers
__________________

Dear Fr. Welbers,
I loved Msgr Barry and knew him all my life. It would be great if the OLA website could include a blog or space where parishioners present and past could post comments on this wonderful and holy man. Everybody has a story about him.
I belong to a Jesuit parish here in New York City; the priests are all very cerebral and gifted in their own way, but none exude the bubbly joy that Fr. Barry did. I miss that most. He had a rare gift. As priests go, he was kind of a rock star.
Gina Ryan
__________________

Fr. Tom,

I'm Mimi Cummins Anderson, Fr. Bill's youngest first cousin. My father,
Walter was Fr. Bill's mother Mary's youngest brother. We had the pleasure of
seeing Fr. Bill several times over the last 10 years - for both sad and
happy occasions - mostly the latter. And he indeed was, fun-fun-fun. He also
looked and sounded remarkably like my late father, Walter - making his loss
a little harder. Having been comforted by Fr. Bill through earlier losses,
though, the sadness is brief. He's now exactly where he was meant to be.

Fr. Bill loved your parish deeply, as I'm sure you know. His loving, sweet
demeanor will be sorely missed by all of us in the family. Please know that
those of us who cannot attend the funeral will be there in spirit with you
and your parishioners.

Much love and many blessings,

Mimi Cummins Anderson
______________________

Hi Father Tom,
I was very fortunate like many , many others to know Monsignor Barry as a mentor. I attented OLA and graduated 1970. He was very worried about our 8th grade graduating class from OLA. He instigated a Freshman High School club for us. The students were all OLA graduates but we were spread among the varying high schools, from public to private.
He encouraged monthly get togethers for the 9th graders to keep in touch. I will never forget his positive encouragement !
I haven't seen him for many years. He counseled my husband and I before our 1980 wedding. My family has always been in touch with him. How happy they were to see Father Barry in Rome, when they were on vacation with the Duncans.
I haven't lived in Claremont for a very long time. I will always be indebted to this man for being the living example of true religion.
When you celebrate his life on Friday at Mass, please know that there are many of us old OLAers, that will continue to celebrate Monsignor Barry, our friend and mentor.
Sincerely,
Maureen Maloney Gorski
OLA Graduate 1970
St. Lucy Graduate 1974
Boston College Graduate 1978
_____________________

Dear Fr. Tom:

I heard this morning of Fr. Barry's death. I also heard from Fr. Tran that the funeral is scheduled for Friday. I know that I have not been actively involved in parish matters for many years, but I would like to offer any assistance that I can to help ensure that the funeral is a fitting tribute to him.

I am sure you will receive many communications about Bill Barry this week. I hope that you will take the time to read my ruminations in considering the most suitable celebration of his excellent life, not because it is part of my story, but the fact that my experience illustrates the extent to which he impacted a tremendous number of people. I hope that the celebration is conducted in a manner that allows as many as possible to pay their respects to his memory.

I had the privilege of knowing Fr. Barry since the first Sunday he was introduced to OLA by Msgr. Strange, about 46 years ago. He was a slender, dark haired dynamo with those steel blue eyes and a memory for names that was unbelievable (he would meet a "C&E" Catholic in front of church on Easter and call him by name the next time he saw him on Christmas).

On a personal basis, I mourn him as he was instrumental in virtually all aspects of my life. He was instrumental in my education, my early social life, and of course, my continuing spiritual journey. Like many of our parishoners, I can say that he married me, baptized my children, and more recently, pulled strings to get my daughter into St. Lucy's High School, an effort that I am convinced has completely transformed her life. Of course, I have many fond memories and some funny stories about him, some of which include a trip to the Greek Theatre to see the Temptations in 1967, his notorious penchant for speeding (and using his collar to talk himself out of the tickets), and sailing in later years.

But unlike many of our parishoners, I can say that I saw him on almost a daily basis from about 1966 until he retired. He basically had only one message, and it was love. He preached it and lived it. His love was contageous and it infected his flock. From the beginning, he embraced the changes introduced by Vatican II. He brought in one of the most memorable characters we ever had in the parish, the great Chester Johnson, who introduced the parish to congregational singing (and gave me organ lessons). He nurtured folk music, and we have Brian Carlson due to his encouragement. He brought in young priests who were working on graduate degrees to help with the daily masses (think a young Tony Campbell and Peter Albano). Of course, I could go on and on, but you are busy and I will spare you the details.

After he retired, he and I figured that we had done over 1,500 weddings alone together at OLA, not to mention funerals and thousands of other masses. Through those experiences, I came to appreciate to some degree the true extent to which he affected a multitude of lives. He didn't just "influence lives", and that cliche' is totally inadequate to describe his impact. He changed lives, and a lot of them, usually through his subtle but persistent pressure to move in a better direction, always delivered with with his unique combination of grace and humor.

His inspirational influence is still with us, even though he has been in retirement. I know that plans must be made immediately, and hope that his funeral will be planned in a manner that will give the greatest number of the people who learned from him a better way to love to have the opportunity to celebrate his life. Please let me know if I can help with anything.

Best regards,
Jim Stoneman
_________________________

a few shots from the funeral mass at OLA 3/23/07

many priests, bishops, the cardinal, family members, congregation members, friends in attendance

cardinal mahony arrives

before the funeral mass

after the funeral mass on friday 3/23/07

after the funeral mass on friday 3/23/07

barry boys at the beach

some personal history from the 06/04 bulletin of his former parish

http://www.olaclaremont.org/resources/bulletin/churchyear03-04/b040613.pdf
(clickable link at bottom of page)

from the article

"In 1927, their father traveled to California
as the chief engineer for the construction of the B.F Goodrich plant
in East LA. There is a street in that neighborhood named after him,
Barry Street. He decided to remain in California and searched for a
home that was walking distance from the church, the schools and
the shopping district. He found a large rambling home that met all
criteria in South Pasadena near Monterey Road and Fairview Avenue.
Young Bill was seven years old."

from the los angeles times

obituary article at:

http://legacy.com/LATimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=86883899
(clickable link at bottom of page)

guest book includes many posted comments from those who knew him.

from the article:

"The Catholic community that has now grown to 4,700 families from the 1,200 he first met in 1963 still bears the stamp of his legendary hospitality, compassion for those in need, commitment to education, and joyful celebration of God's presence. Throughout his priestly life, Msgr. Barry also enjoyed universal respect among his fellow clergy within the Catholic Church, and among religious leaders of other faiths and Christian traditions in Southern California."

from the inland valley daily bulletin

http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_5484187
(clickable link at bottom of page)

from the article:

"He had a way that, no matter how challenged a person was in communicating, he would fully embrace a person, and I don't think there's anybody he didn't touch, didn't embrace," Bob Barry said. "I've never actually seen anybody like that and (that's) probably why he's so loved by parishioners and family."

from Steve Barry

_____________________
Found this obituary today.

http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/03/21/obituaries/doc4600501cd1422438
309126.txt
(clickable link at bottom of page)
_____________________

from Dave and Mary Tschantz

____________________



Fr. Bill was always willing to come to Akron for Gannon family events if his schedule permitted. He was a calm and comforting presence at funerals, a joy at weddings, reunions, and even the occasional baptism. He was instrumental in bringing Chic Tschantz and Linda Gannon into the church in 1978. This picture is from June 1974 when he came to Akron for our wedding. Black is always in style!

thank you for putting this together. it is a great way to remember and respect a great guy.

peace,

dave
____________________

from kathi albertini (on her birthday)

.


"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others." Pericles

from dorothy albertini (nancy's hbs award in cambridge)

________________________

here are a couple. thanks, m.

love love




________________________

from kathi albertini

________________________
Gin Champion

Father Bill loved to challenge us to games of gin no matter where no matter when. After Dorothy's graduation we had a championship at tables under an awning while the rain poured down. Each round received loud shouts of joy and disappointment. The family news media covered the event. A joyous time was had by all! I can't remember who won!



under the tent at Dorothy's graduation



Father bill at Mom's service



Giving Communion


________________________

more from young dave barry ( from china!)

_______________________________
Here is another shot of the boys with their dad.



_______________________________

at a family reunion

from jefferson braswell, mike's old friend

____________________________

When I opened the e-mail with the picture first, I realized by the combination of the Catholic robes and the distinctive Barry look that it must be a picture of Father Bill ... and I quickly realized why you had sent the photo.

I am quite grateful to have had the chance to meet him -- I really enjoyed hanging out with Father Bill when we took that trip to Antigua with him and your dad. We had a ball, and he had a very special and endearing way that he walked through life, totally approachable and yet unflustered by all of the approaches which he either consciously or subliminally invited, entertained, and to which he gladly and cheerfully reciprocated. And what an entertainer ! He certainly appeared to have found his mantra long ago and had stuck to it, with gusto. For one, I can say that in that brief encounter he managed to make his mark with me, and I somehow feel the better for it. I am just sorry I was not able to rub elbows with him on a subsequent adventure. (All in due time, perhaps).

Hear Hear !! Raise a glass (or two, or three) for Father William Barry !!! In these troubled and trying times, may his example be a source of comfort and strength to us all.

-Jeff
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from young dave barry

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Joey and the Boys



Fr Bill is Love

Love of kids, no love of all people
Love of his brothers
Love of Lorna
Love of Bess & Bun
Love of the Wright’s
Love of the sun
Love of the water
Love of the beach
Love of boat rides
Love of home masses. Thanking and asking.
Love of God
Love of being “up”. I don’t think I ever saw him down
Love of playing gin
Love of needling and teasing, especially while playing gin
Love and pride of the family heritage
Love of loyalty. The Dean, Fr Si,
Love of big hugs


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from kathi albertini

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from kevin barry

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here's Bill's favorite song that
he sang at the end of his retirement party:

You'll never know just how much I miss you
You'll never know just how much I care
And if I tried, I still couldn't hide my love for you
You ought to know, for haven't I told you so
A million or more times?

You went away and my heart went with you
I speak your name in my every prayer
If there is some other way to prove that I love you
I swear I don't know how
You'll never know if you don't know now

(You went away and my heart went with you
I speak your name in my every prayer)
If there is some other way to prove that I love you
I swear I don't know how
You'll never know if you don't know now

You'll never know if you don't know now

Christmas 2005





Catholic Charities award 2006


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