KATHLEEN MARGARET BARRY

9/23/1940 - 11/20/2004

An Amazing Woman... An Extraordinary Life

Loving mother, sister and daughter... loyal and compassionate friend... engaging teacher and public speaker...prolific reader and writer... dynamic and vivacious personality...passionate actress, producer, and aficionado of the performing arts...charmer extraordinaire…quick-witted conversationalist and unparalleled fun-maker and master of ceremonies.

These are but some of the words that describe the life of Kathleen Barry and the effect she had on the countless others she touched. It has been said that no one who met her could escape her almost “Circe-esque” charms.

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to working-class parents, she achieved such leadership titles as Good Citizen, Queen of the May Parade and Stratford High School class officer. She attended the College of New Rochelle in New York and Salve Regina in Newport, Rhode Island, and was listed among the Who’s Who of America’s college students. Upon graduation in 1963 she moved with her young family to the Washington, DC, area where she studied theater at Catholic University and began her life-long career in writing, teaching, and the performing arts.

Her professional life spanned multiple fields including yoga instructor, producer and director of children’s theatrical programs for Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, founding producer for the Saturday Morning and Monday Night at the National programs at the National Theatre, drama teacher at elementary schools and colleges, and consultant for major corporations and government agencies in the areas of writing, public speaking and media training.

In the midst of this career she also raised and is survived by four children who have all benefited from her wisdom, her integrity, her values and the rich experiences of her life. She also has eight wonderful grandchildren to keep her legacy alive.

Her travels, both for business and pleasure, took her to diverse parts of the world. From Alaska to Argentina. From California to Colorado and Costa Rica. From New Zealand to old Germany. And so many destinations in between. But the places that touched her heart, the places to which she so often returned, were humble, unheralded places like Zachary Taylor Park near her home in Arlington, Virginia and Lordship Beach in her hometown of Stratford, Connecticut. Those that loved her will always be able to conjure her memory when visiting these locations.

Sadly, the last years of her life were diminished by Alzheimer's Disease, which was an extremely difficult deterioration to watch. Yet throughout much of this long, slow, good-bye, she still had her warm and sincere smile, her contagious laugh and sparkling Irish eyes and her love of music and dance. The moments when these would peak out beyond her condition were always special to experience.

The world has lost a great woman. We already miss her and will for the rest of our lives. We can however be comforted in knowing she is now at peace, beyond the struggle with Alzheimer’s, and finally home.

Good-bye Kathleen.

***The greatest gift you could give the family is to share your own special memories of Kathleen Barry by letter, by poem, by song or by picture. Please be so kind as to send them to her family at memories@spaztick.com and they will compile them for an on-line memory album for all who loved her to enjoy.

Those who would like to send a donation may do so in her honor to the theaters she called home: Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, and to the Saturday Morning and Monday Night at the National programs at the National Theatre. She also was a big fan of The Carter Center, which is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering.