In Memory

David Thomas Barry - Class Of 1934

David Thomas Barry

David T Barry, 96, died October 12, 2013 at St John's Home in Brighton, New York. Barry will be remembered for his smile, bow ties, storytelling and sense of humor, which included an epic volume of jokes. He encouraged and expected the best of his loved ones and relished in their successes. Barry was born August 17, 1917 to Emmett and Mary (Cummins) Barry in Akron, Ohio. He was one of five brothers. He also grew up with a cousin, Betty Jane Scotton Wright, who was like a sister to the brothers. The brothers remained close throughout their lives, a philosophy they spread to their own families.

David graduated from South Pasadena High School in 1934 and from Pasadena Junior College and the University of California at Berkeley in 1938 with a degree in business. He served in the Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II aboard the USS Flaherty. Just before leaving for his assignment in the Navy, he married Dorothy Hardin on December 31, 1941. They were married for 61 years and she died in 2002. 

David worked for several businesses and owned his own consulting business for over 40 years, retiring, or as he put it, "becoming unemployed," at age 87. He and his wife lived in California, Portland, Oregon, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania before settling in Dover, Massachusetts where they spent their later years. He was an avid swimmer, tennis player, sailor, and golfer. He loved traveling, playing cards, and assembling puzzles. He enjoyed all of these activities with family and good friends. At age 94 he published a memoir, 'You Can't Win if You Don't Play' with Lynne Levesque.

His four brothers, Bob (SPHS '33), Father Bill (SPHS '37), Ted, and Jack, as well as Betty Jane, all predeceased him. He leaves three children:  Kathleen (John) Alberti of Rochester, New York, Michael of San Rafael, California, and Patrick (Brigitte) of Newbury Park, California; six grandchildren; a dear friend, Joanne Armstrong of Lincoln, Massachusetts; as well as several nieces, nephews, cousins, and many adoring friends.

Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2013