Thomas "Irish" Barry

Thomas "Irish" Barry age 83, of Painesville, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and children on October 20, 2014. He was born December 8th, 1930 in Geneva, Ohio to Thomas and Winifred (Robinette) Barry. He and his wife, Janet (Johnson), were married for 61 years. They were high school sweethearts, best friends and classmates at Madison High School graduating in 1949. He was a devoted Catholic all his life and a parishioner of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Painesville for many years. Tom spent 2 years serving his country in the Army stationed at Camp Jima in Japan. He was an Industrial Arts teacher at Eastlake and Willowick Jr. High School for 27 years. Tom was also a member of the Sheet Metal Workers Union Local #65 for 50 years. Tom was a devoted husband, father and grandfather to his 8 children, 16 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. "Papa Tom" was always present at the sporting events of his grandchildren, being their biggest fan, toughest coach and greatest motivator. Tom cherished his childhood hometown of Madison and loved to reminisce and tell stories of the good old days to whoever wanted to hear them. He also enjoyed travelling with family and friends, even making the back to the family homestead in Ireland with his children. He was a thoughtful and generous man always there for his family and friends. Many have relied on him for his kindness and warm sense of humor. He is survived by his loving wife, Janet and 8 children: Robin of Midway, KY, Kevin (Suzan) of Mentor, Kim (John) Wright of Jefferson, Colleen (Gary) Burr of Madison, Patrick of Painesville, June of Painesville, Jeannette (Chris) Jones of Painesville, and Jennifer (Shawn Quinn) of Geneva. He is also survived by 16 grandchildren: Monica (Andy) McBride, Nathan (Chelsea) Barry, Adam Barry, Dan Barry, John Michael (Stephanie) Wright, Jessica Wright, Tyler Wright, Ryan Burr, Rebecca Burr, Clara Barry, Courtney Miller, Vanessa (Nate) Schoen, Caitlin Jones, Vaughn Jones, Mitchell Quinn and Adrian Quinn. The 7 great grandchildren are Collette, Finn, Deus, Pamera, Ruby, Henry and Molly. He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Thomas and Winifred (Robinette) Barry, and his sister, Marjorie Stueve. Visitation for family and friends will be from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 at Behm Funeral Home, 26 River St., Madison, Ohio A funeral Mass and Celebration of Life will be celebrated at St. Mary's Church, 242 North State Street, Painesville on Thursday, October 23rd, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. In lieu to flowers, donations in his name can be made to Christ Child Society, 1535 Mentor Ave., Painesville, OH 44077 or Hospice of the Western Reserve, 17876 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44110-2602. The family asks that you wear your favorite shade of green and come to share memories and stories of times spent with Tom. His Irish wit, charm and generosity will be missed by all!