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.