Lawrence L. Barker Jr.

Barker, Lawrence L. Jr. DELMAR Lawrence Lionel Barker Jr., of Delmar, passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2008. Larry was president and chief executive officer of NYSID (New York State Industries for the Disabled), a non-profit organization that helps people with disabilities find employ-ment through state contracts. During his 12-year tenure, he led the company through a period of substantial growth. More than the financial success of the company, however, he was most proud of NYSID's social mission to help people with disabilities. Larry was born in Pittsfield, Mass. on September 27, 1945, to Lawrence Lionel Barker Sr. and Dorothy Quirk Barker. His family moved to Glens Falls, N.Y., where he became an honor student, Eagle Scout and varsity athlete. He graduated with honors from Siena College, where he was a Shakespearean actor and president of his freshman class. He earned a master's degree in public administration from SUNY Albany in 1968. Larry began his career at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Niskayuna and then moved to Washington, D.C., to work for the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1978, he took a job in the private sector at Mechanical Technology, Inc. in Albany. He later returned to public service at the New York State Science and Technology Foundation. From there, he moved to the New York State Department of Economic Development, where he rose to executive deputy commissioner. In 1996, Larry returned to the private sector, accepting the position of president and CEO of NYSID. Larry was well known for his sense of humor, the great love he had for God, his wife and family, and in keeping with his French Canadian heritage, his joie de vivre, or "joy of life." He was a voracious reader who loved the works of Ernest Hemingway. A serious history buff, Larry cultivated a passionate and scholarly love for the Civil War and was a charter member of the Capital District Civil War Roundtable. He was a lifelong New York Giants fan. He also loved Ocean City on the Jersey Shore for the chance it gave him to spend time with his family, relax and read on the beach until the sun went down. Larry married Elizabeth McGowan Hough in St. Patrick's Church, Watertown, N.Y., on August 12, 1967. Surviving him are his wife of 40 years; his brother, David Barker and sister-in-law Janet Barker of Easton, Pa.; and his five beloved children, Lawrence L. Barker III of New York City, Ellen Dunagan and her husband John of Arlington, Va., John Barker and his wife Emily of New York City, Catherine Barker of Washington, D.C. and James Barker of Mendham, N.J.; grandson, John Bradley Dunagan; numerous nieces and nephews; and other close family in Pittsfield and Stockbridge, Mass. also survive him. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Historic St. Mary's Church on Capitol Hill, (corner of Pine and Lodge Sts.), Albany on Friday at 9 a.m. Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Daniel Keenan Funeral Home, Inc., 490 Delaware Ave., Albany. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Larry's name may be made to St. Mary's Church Thanksgiving Appeal, 10 Lodge St., Albany, NY 12207-2196.