Robert Barry of Portage passed away at the age of 90 on May 4, 2021. Six years earlier, his wife of 66 years, Leah Keyser Barry, passed from this life. There was not a day during those six years when Bob did not speak lovingly and longingly of his sweet Leah. Married in 1948, they lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, for two years while stationed in the Navy, then lived in a variety of locations in Vicksburg, Portage and South Haven. For decades, they shared a love of water-skiing and sailing, and in later years they put thousands of miles on a tandem recumbent bike that kept them active and healthy.
A graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School, Bob tried a variety of vocations before becoming a sheet metal mechanic, work he continued to enjoy long after he had formally retired. Even in the weeks prior to his death, he continued to find pleasure in his basement workshop, planning and crafting new projects of wood and metal. For many years he volunteered in local prison ministries. More recently he volunteered with Lending Hands of Michigan, refurbishing medical equipment. He also engaged with the refugee and immigration work of Bethany Christian Services.
Bob is survived by a son, Daniel (Tree) Barry, and a daughter, Lynne (Bill) Hybels; a brother, Jim (Diane) Barry; grandchildren Shauna, Todd, Katie, Kendall and Levi; great-grandchildren Ellie, Braydon, Lena, Henry, Mac, Kaidan, Marcele and Nicholas; many nieces and nephews; and special friends Rajab, Mohsin, Maria and Kevin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Louise Barry, and a brother, Richard Barry.
A graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School, Bob tried a variety of vocations before becoming a sheet metal mechanic, work he continued to enjoy long after he had formally retired. Even in the weeks prior to his death, he continued to find pleasure in his basement workshop, planning and crafting new projects of wood and metal. For many years he volunteered in local prison ministries. More recently he volunteered with Lending Hands of Michigan, refurbishing medical equipment. He also engaged with the refugee and immigration work of Bethany Christian Services.
Bob is survived by a son, Daniel (Tree) Barry, and a daughter, Lynne (Bill) Hybels; a brother, Jim (Diane) Barry; grandchildren Shauna, Todd, Katie, Kendall and Levi; great-grandchildren Ellie, Braydon, Lena, Henry, Mac, Kaidan, Marcele and Nicholas; many nieces and nephews; and special friends Rajab, Mohsin, Maria and Kevin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Louise Barry, and a brother, Richard Barry.
Robert Barry of Portage passed away at the age of 90 on May 4, 2021. Six years earlier, his wife of 66 years, Leah Keyser Barry, passed from this life. There was not a day during those six years when Bob did not speak lovingly and longingly of his sweet Leah. Married in 1948, they lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, for two years while stationed in the Navy, then lived in a variety of locations in Vicksburg, Portage and South Haven. For decades, they shared a love of water-skiing and sailing, and in later years they put thousands of miles on a tandem recumbent bike that kept them active and healthy.
A graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School, Bob tried a variety of vocations before becoming a sheet metal mechanic, work he continued to enjoy long after he had formally retired. Even in the weeks prior to his death, he continued to find pleasure in his basement workshop, planning and crafting new projects of wood and metal. For many years he volunteered in local prison ministries. More recently he volunteered with Lending Hands of Michigan, refurbishing medical equipment. He also engaged with the refugee and immigration work of Bethany Christian Services.
Bob is survived by a son, Daniel (Tree) Barry, and a daughter, Lynne (Bill) Hybels; a brother, Jim (Diane) Barry; grandchildren Shauna, Todd, Katie, Kendall and Levi; great-grandchildren Ellie, Braydon, Lena, Henry, Mac, Kaidan, Marcele and Nicholas; many nieces and nephews; and special friends Rajab, Mohsin, Maria and Kevin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Louise Barry, and a brother, Richard Barry.
A graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School, Bob tried a variety of vocations before becoming a sheet metal mechanic, work he continued to enjoy long after he had formally retired. Even in the weeks prior to his death, he continued to find pleasure in his basement workshop, planning and crafting new projects of wood and metal. For many years he volunteered in local prison ministries. More recently he volunteered with Lending Hands of Michigan, refurbishing medical equipment. He also engaged with the refugee and immigration work of Bethany Christian Services.
Bob is survived by a son, Daniel (Tree) Barry, and a daughter, Lynne (Bill) Hybels; a brother, Jim (Diane) Barry; grandchildren Shauna, Todd, Katie, Kendall and Levi; great-grandchildren Ellie, Braydon, Lena, Henry, Mac, Kaidan, Marcele and Nicholas; many nieces and nephews; and special friends Rajab, Mohsin, Maria and Kevin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Louise Barry, and a brother, Richard Barry.
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