Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I have known Barry for many years through our mutual love of hockey in the Oldtimer's Hockey League as well as the Friday night skirmishes with a bunch of buddies. He was always the first to congratulate an opponent on a great shot and the first to blame himself if a goal slipped in even if it was really the fault of his enept teamates. That's the way he was - always a man of great character and the ultimate team-mate, totally unselfish. Everyone loved him.
Barry has always been a chatterbox. He had an opinion about everything and, for the most part, he was very accurate and few could refute his suppositions and feelings. I always tried to be in his "change room" because he was always the centre of attention and always made everyone feel good.
I remember the horrendous hours that Barry used to put in during his tenure with the "blue-box" team. He relished his job with such great pride that it put most of us in shame of the daily jobs that most of us thought were ridiculously onerus. Can you imagine getting home at 1:00 am after hockey on Friday nights and then get up to work on Saturday morning (in good spirits I might add) at 6:00 am to head to work. He was driven by an incredible sense of responsibility. The world would certainly be better for men like him.
As passionate as Barry was with his hockey and with his job responsibilities, he always praised the support, and indulgence, of his devoted partner, Joanne and his new family. True to the man of character, he always bragged of those loved ones who most understood the man that he was.
I will always remember you as a team-mate, but more as an ideal of "human" integrity. You have touched many lives and you will never, ever be forgotten - I hope there is an ice-rink in heaven.
To Joanne and family members, I send my condolences on this very great loss, but also send my thanks for being the real inspiration behind Barry's passions. His last few years were dedicated to your love - that made him proud and happy.
