Barry Edward Taylor

Barry Edward Taylor was born July 7, 1947 and left suddenly on Sunday November 9.

He completed the family of Clarence and Bernice Healy Taylor, joining a sister Sue who was five years older. Sue exclaimed that her newborn brother looked “just like a strawberry” with his red hair, and hence his family called him Barry.

He will always be remembered as a kind, curious man with a wide range of interests and a love of conversation. He was very proud of his son Jerome and daughter-in-law Heidi, and his two grandchildren Serena and Erik. Lynne was the love of his life and he was cherished deeply by his two step daughters and their families, and counted his five step grandchildren as his own.

Barry grew up in the small college town of Canton, New York. His mother was a school teacher and his father one of the two barbers in town, and the family was active in a variety of organizations in town, including the Presbyterian Church. Barry always knew the Universalist church across the town square as the place with all the intellectuals, but he did attend musical events in their basement.

Barry always loved music. In high school he was the drummer in a dance band and earned enough to buy first a motorcycle, and later a car. He dreamed of becoming a professional musician, but because he excelled in Chemistry, his high school chemistry teacher encouraged him in that direction. On graduation Barry was set to leave for Fredonia College when his sister unexpectedly died of complications of diabetes, it was a devastating loss.

Barry was an exchange student in Germany at the University of Bonn, traveling on weekends all over Europe, enjoying every museum he could and sleeping on the trains to save money. On his return to the US Barry married his sweetheart and continued on to graduate school at Brown University. On graduation he joined DuPont, welcomed a beloved son Jerome, and moved with DuPont to a number of different locations.

One of the DuPont transfers took Barry to Japan, where he lived for six years, focusing on teaching the younger chemists there. He loved teaching and sharing anything he knew how to do, and maintained some of those Japanese coworker connections until the end of his life. Barry retired early from DuPont in order to enjoy more time at his “camp” in northern New York. His time on the lake included daily bathing in the lake, kayaking, and chatting with neighbors.

He was deeply appreciative of all the visits from family and friends and the connections in Brighton Gardens. The family is so grateful to everyone who helped to make Barry’s life easier in these past few difficult years, especially his friend Steve Lee, who texted him every single day and was always available for a chat and a hand with chores at the lake.

A Memorial Service to celebrate his life will be held Saturday December 6 at our church, The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, 3313 Wade Avenue. There will be a reception following the service in the Fellowship Hall downstairs. All are welcome.

If you wish to make a donation in Barry’s memory, please give to the charity closest to your heart, or to the Memorial Fund at our church.