William Barrow

1956 - 2015

William Guy Barrow
1956-2015
William Guy Barrow passed from this life on June 29, 2015, after an incredibly courageous, two year battle with cancer. Bill was born in Jackson, MS, on Aug. 8. 1956. He studied at the University of Colorado and Louisiana State University. Bill began his retail career at Maison Blanche in Baton Rouge, starting as a buyer and quickly rising to the position of manager in fine jewelry. With his discerning taste and deft business skills, he enjoyed a distinguished career for more than 25 years with Finlay Fine Jewelry, managing departments at stores in Atlanta, Miami, Dallas and at Foley's and Macy's stores in Houston. He concluded his career as a driving force in the membership team at Costco. Bill was a key participant in the Diana Foundation, Krewe of Olympus and the Four Seasons Club, always volunteering his formidable and multi-faceted talents to plan a party, build a float for the Pride Parade, design and execute masks, costumes, set pieces, you name it. Just as in his professional life, Bill in any volunteer capacity was invariably the most conscientious, hardest-working person in the room, great with people and always a gifted problem solver. In 2013, Bill received the Diana Foundation's Golden Bow Award, for long-standing service. One of his proudest achievements was serving as ball caption for Krewe of Olympus' Night at the Museum Ball; Bill was the chief architect of this delightful program, with every sequence cued to great art works and museums. Everything fascinated Bill and he had many passions: theater and all the arts, collecting, gardening, his angelfish, crafting anything with his hands.
Above all, Bill loved to travel. From his first trip to Europe as a high school student, Bill traveled more in any chapter of his life than most would in a lifetime. He often said that he'd made his more arduous journeys, hiking mountains of Tibet and Peru, as a young adult, because they might prove too difficult later. In his final two years, Bill reveled in cruises of the Caribbean and Hawaiian Islands, as well as the breathtaking Alaska coastline, visited many of Europe's great cities on cruises of the Baltic Sea and Danube River, traveled to Buenos Aires and Bangkok, as well as Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya. That's not counting the driving tour of the California coastline, a 2014 Fourth of July trip to Chicago, and numerous visits to New York - and yes, in 2014, he finally attended the Tony Awards (and after party) in person. When not traveling, Bill made numerous improvements in the home he shares with his husband, including designing and planting a set of beautiful gardens. Did I mention his mischievous, unique and often surprising sense of humor? No matter what was happening to him, Bill thought of others and what he could do for them. No matter what obstacles life threw in his path, if there was a task to be done and if he could possibly get up and do it, he did. What a remarkable individual and what a lesson, for all of us, in how to live each day. Bill was the beloved only child of William Ernest and Ann Barrow, who preceded him. Bill is survived by his devoted and eternally grateful husband, Everett Evans, his aunt, Sara Reed, and cousins Larissa Desroche, Ingrid Roebuck, Linnea Rice and Kim Agosta, and by his sister-in-law Elizabeth Leenig. Bill and Everett thank his care team at Baylor College of Medicine, especially the marvelous Dr. Yvonne Sada, a shining light on some very dark days. She helped us accomplish the seemingly impossible: enabling Bill to do in two years virtually everything he'd have wanted to do in a decade or more of retirement. Bill will be remembered and loved by all who knew him, whether family or innumerable cherished friends, co-workers or fellow patients and medical staff. In the words of one of his dearest friends, "How honored we were to have him in our lives." As Bill loved all things Mardi Gras, a New Orleans style celebration of his life is being planned for Aug. 8, which would have been his 59th birthday.