Barry Richard Groner

Barry Richard Groner of Carrboro, NC, died on June 13, 2025, after a brave and protracted battle with heart failure. He was 75 years old. Barry passed surrounded by his family, who tirelessly and attentively cared for him at home with hospice support.

Barry was born on January 10, 1950 into a Jewish family and grew up in New York City. His father died tragically when Barry and his only sibling, sister Karen, were just 5 and 7 years old. They were raised by their strong, determined mother Shirley and grandmother Dora.

A natural problem solver and perpetual questioner, Barry excelled in math at school and had the analytical mindset of an engineer. He developed a love for ham radio communication that continued his entire life and was still signing in with his call letters K2IX a week before his death.

Barry attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.S. in Physics in 1972. He also had an appreciation for the theater arts, in part influenced by having shared a room during college with the playwright John Michael Tebelak, creator of the musical  Godspell  . While living in Rochester, NY, Barry enjoyed serving in various technical stage management roles with the longstanding Blackfriars Theater. He enjoyed jazz music and singer-songwriters.

A keen enthusiast of early computing, Barry unabashedly admitted that he lied about the extent of his programming skills to get his first tech job. He spent his entire career working in various aspects of the computer industry, first as a systems programmer at the University of Rochester from 1980-84. Later work in several systems architecture jobs with IBM brought him to live in North Carolina with his first wife, Janne. He worked for “Big Blue” until his retirement in 2015. Brendan inherited his devotion to technology and rivals his father’s time on devices.

Barry and Janne raised their two children, Lexie and Brendan, just outside of Chapel Hill. Barry was a playful dad, forever making stuffed animals come alive, letting the kids ride on his shoulders, and playing games his children improvised (which usually involved tackling him in some way). He shared with them his love of major league baseball (Yankees from birth) and college basketball (go Heels!). Barry enjoyed teaching both kids how to use many of his tools. He was always willing to read their favorite poem “There Once Was a Puffin” when they didn’t feel well. Both Lexie and Brendan show that same playful tenderness towards the kids in their lives.

Barry and his kids became passionately involved as participants, volunteers, and later leaders in Odyssey of the Mind, a competitive program that teaches students how to develop and use their natural creativity to become problem solvers. Barry served as a Problem Captain and Judge of “OM” for several decades and daughter Lexie currently serves as Tournament Director.

When not using one of his many tech devices, Barry had wide-ranging interests that included astronomy, playing tennis, photography, and learning saxophone and guitar. He was fascinated by flight, from birds to drones to planes. His love of fast cars was unrelenting, with one of his happiest days being when he got to rev the motor of a red Ferrari sports car around a track.

Barry remarried in 2009 to Diana Newton of Chapel Hill/Carrboro. The pair met through their volunteer work on the local board of Satir Systems. Several beloved pets were central to their life together. Barry’s best kitty pal, Scout, also died from heart failure a few months before Barry. Diana and Barry traveled the world, laughed a lot, were aghast at US political divisions, and were embarrassed to admit they watched and analyzed some ridiculous reality TV shows about relationships. They were the best of playmates.

During his retirement Barry became a well-versed counselor for the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) in which he provided guidance about the intricacies of choosing annual health insurance plans.

Barry’s dry humor, incisive intellect, even temperament, and love for his family will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.

Barry is survived by his wife Diana Newton of Carrboro, daughter Alexis Groner of Carrboro, son and daughter-in-law Brendan and Alexis Colner of Buffalo, NY, sister Karen Groner of New York City, cousin (who was like a brother) Leonard (Len) Fischer of Ojai, California, and loyal hound Tallulah.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Playmakers Repertory Company in support of local theater or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s efforts to keep the Merlin app free to all bird enthusiasts.

A memorial service for Barry will be held on Friday, June 27, 3 PM at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club. Virtual access to the service will be available through Zoom at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84356075110?pwd=BgXZeJXcKUTAay2dB2rBHI3z58jLkr.1