Barry was born on January 6‚ 1963‚ in Minneapolis‚ Minnesota. He grew up on the south side of Minneapolis and graduated from Minneapolis Southwest High School in 1981. He attended the University of Minnesota‚ Twin Cities Campus‚ and graduated with a BA in Economics in 1986‚ but he always knew his true calling was as a Minneapolis firefighter.

Barry met his wife Linda when he was in 8th grade‚ and they were married on June 29th‚ 1985. Their two sons‚ Jake and Mark‚ followed in 1989 and 1991. Linda’s Dad‚ John Hannon‚ was a Captain on the Minneapolis Fire Department so Barry had many years of exposure to the work and culture of the fire department and admired the work that they perform in serving the community. When the opportunity to take the test to join the Minneapolis Fire Department came up‚ Barry took it and became a Minneapolis firefighter in September of 1986. Barry rose to the rank of Fire Motor Operator and worked in many of the stations‚ primarily on the south side of Minneapolis‚ and spent most of his time at Station 17‚ driving Ladder 5. It was during one of his shifts at Station 17 that Barry and his crew went on a medical run to a local nursing home where the Influenza B virus was present. Barry ended up contracting the influenza virus while on that medical run and it resulted in his death two weeks later. Barry proudly served on the Minneapolis Fire Department for over 20 years.

In addition to his job on the fire department‚ Barry loved wood working and spent time creating and building furniture‚ which he made to perfection‚ for his family and friends in his garage. The many pieces of furniture he made will last for generations as a reminder for his family of Barry’s love for them. Barry also worked part time for Katie Rose Corporation‚ a general contracting firm that is owned by one of Barry’s closest friends.

When not working‚ Barry also spent a lot of time biking and playing hockey. Most of all‚ Barry enjoyed spending time with his wife and sons‚ and watching his son’s‚ Jake and Mark‚ play hockey‚ baseball‚ and football. Barry’s greatest joy came from his sons and he was so proud of them. They were his inspiration.

‘The presence of his absence was everywhere.’ – Millay