Obituary of John P. Barry

John Patrick Barry, 59, passed away after a brief illness on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Born in Queens, New York, March 3, 1961, the fifth of seventh children, John was raised in Irvington and Vailsburg, New Jersey. He graduated from Sacred Heart School in 1975, Seton Hall Prep in 1979, and later graduated from Seton Hall University and Marquette University. He worked at Handi-Man Industries in Newark. At the age of 22, John moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to manage the Howard Hardware/EZ Painter division of Newell Industries. He then went on to work for Milwaukee Electric Tool and Vilter Manufacturing, where he went on to become Vice-President of Operations. More recently, John began pursuing an acting career, landing several small roles, as an extra, in film and television. An avid cyclist, who competed in 100-mile-long events, John also regularly took home top Trivia competition prizes and, at home, was often chosen first for family Trivial Pursuit games. John was a huge Milwaukee Brewers fan and was delighted to attend their Spring Training Camp a few years ago. He loved the Green Bay Packers and was proud to be a part owner of the team! He also really enjoyed playing golf and corn hole. He loved coming home to New Jersey to visit his large family, continuing his life-long love of trips to the Jersey Shore and getting to savor his favorites, like Jimmy Buffs Italian Hot Dogs, White Castle, Jersey subs and pizzas. Music was a big passion of John’s and he attended many, many concerts. John was especially proud of having seen Bruce Springsteen 52 times! He loved to travel and experience different cultures. He traveled all over Europe and Asia, for work and pleasure. John is survived by his loving family; his siblings, Martin (and Leslie) Barry, Daniel (and Amy) Barry, Maura (and Tommy) Graham, Eileen (and Ed) Betlow, Anne Praino, and Deirdre (and Alan) Garie, his nieces and nephews, Steven, Michael (and Lauren), David, Tara, Brian, Courtney (and Danny), Treasa, Jordan, Rory, Riley Anne, Damon and Isis; his aunts and uncles, Pauline and Donal O’Leary, John Donovan, Maurice Joyce, Hilary Barry, Maureen Johnson, Michael and Phyllis Barry, Margaret and Frank Baumann, Kathleen and John Kovalsky, Liam and Kitty Barry, and numerous cousins. John also leaves behind his loving girlfriend, Tonyia Quade, as well as his second family, his friends in Wisconsin, and life-long friends in New Jersey. He was pre-deceased by his loving parents, John and Theresa (nee Jordan) Barry. Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 27, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Dangler Funeral Home, 600 Speedwell Avenue (at Glenbrook Road), Morris Plains, NJ 07950, Phone: (973) 539-3300. The Rite of Christian Burial Mass will be held on Monday, September 28, at 10:00 AM, at St. Virgil Church, 250 Speedwell Avenue, Morris Plains, NJ 973-528-1418. If you cannot join in person, please feel welcome to view the livestream of the funeral mass at https://www.stvirgilparish.org/. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in John’s memory to: Nourish NJ at https://nourishnj.org or Salvation Army of Milwaukee County at https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/usc/. Given the current public health situation, while social distancing and masks will be observed at the services, the family understands if you are not comfortable attending, and knows that your prayers and thoughts are with them during this time.