In Memory

Of all the things a hometown newspaper gets wrong, some things occasionally come out JUST right. I am forever grateful to The Henderson Daily News for allowing a little latitude on its obit page. I don't have much distance from the subject matter -- oh, I see it's quite long, but I'm accutely aware of how much was cut -- so I can't be sure that running a list of personal achievements counts as a community service. But when honoring a life spent in service of a community, no number of column-inches seems too much.

Happy birthday, Paw Paw!

James A. Barry

A memorial service for James A. Barry, 86, of Henderson, will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Dave Brushear of First Methodist Church officiating. Private graveside services, officiated by the Rev. Ricky Ricks, will precede the memorial.
Mr. Barry died Jan. 23, 2006, at home.
Born March 10, 1920, in Warsaw, Indiana, Barry moved to Texas in childhood and graduated from Henderson High School a distinguished athlete, setting records in both football and track and field. One record, for a 106-yard kick-off return, stands today. He attended the University of Houston, proudly served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and was selected one of five “Outstanding Young Men” in Texas during his mid-twenties.
Barry’s initiative and drive sparked a national career that spanned four decades and many notable interests. He went into business with legendary New York Yankee Mickey Mantle. He became an investment banker during the rise of mutual funds. He served as president of sales for the DuPont Corporation, and retired as president of Delphi Capital Sales in Wilmington, Delaware.
Witness to Barry’s wide-ranging passions and involvements, he also served as the first president of Henderson’s Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), overseeing the creation of Lake Forest Park; helped recruit football players for the U.S. Naval Academy; taught Dale Carnegie classes in self-improvement and salesmanship; trained bird dogs, hunted and fished; traveled Europe and the Holy Lands; and spent decades honing a natural athlete and strategist’s affinity for the game of golf.
In the early 1980s, Barry combined his corporate savvy with personal faith to help found Henderson Interchurch Ministry (HIM). Seeing and responding to a need, Barry pulled together church and community leaders who defined this bellwether organization. He served as its administrative director for 18 years.
Barry also maintained 51 consecutive years of membership in the Masonic Lodge and was a member of First United Methodist Church.
Survivors include Dorothy Cannon Barry, his high-school sweetheart and wife of 66 years; their daughter, Cyndy Willard, of Henderson; their son, Jimmy Barry and daughter-in-law Kay, of Longview; grandchildren Jill Young and husband Jeff, of Houston; Barry Willard and wife Rachel, of Friendswood; Amy Hacker and husband Trey, of Henderson; Ginger Barry Brandt and husband Jeremy, of Tyler; and Shannon Barry and wife Betsy, of Tyler. Barry’s eight great-grandchildren are Carson, Kerith and Cannon Willard, Hope and Jack Hacker, Miles Brandt, Joshua Barry and Will Young. Other survivors are sister-in-law JoAnne Mason and husband James, of Henderson.
Pallbearers are Barry Willard, Shannon Barry, Trey Hacker, Jeremy Brandt, Jeff Young and Carson Willard. Honorary pallbearers are Rex Houston, John Foster, E.F. Crim, Andy Turlington, Tommy Strong and James Mann.
Loved best by those who knew him well, Barry breathed life deeply and cast a long shadow. His friends and family will forever be shaped by the man who refused to succumb to “the plains of hesitation” and who, like cream, rose to the top.