BARRY JOHN DELONG

DELONG, BARRY JOHN Barry died peacefully, at the young age of 61, on May 19, 2023, after a 15-month fight with cancer. Like everything in his life, he died on his own terms, at home, surrounded by those who loved him. Barry was predeceased by his mother, Bernice (2010); father, Ralph (2018); and brother, David (2016). He will be greatly missed by his son, Mitchell; his companion and soulmate, Suzanne, and her family; and by his brother, Steven; as well as his many other relatives and friends, and his precious dogs, Tina and Ike. Barry was born in Brockville, Ontario, in 1961, and grew up in Montreal. Whenever the family travelled, be it a move to a new neighbourhood or a camping trip, Barry was a friendly soul who made new friends. Later, Barry moved with his family to Geneva, Switzerland, where he completed high school and made more lifelong friends from around the world – famously joining his teachers at the pub in the afternoon and seeing Europe by train and moped. Back in Canada, Barry eventually settled on training to be a Chef, going to George Brown College before working as an Executive Chef at University of Toronto, Upper Canada College, Bell Canada's Toronto HQ, and other hotels and restaurants. He then studied business and computers, opening a computer networking service for small business. By this time, Barry had moved to Oakville, married Oakville native, Cheryl Ferguson, and over the years enjoyed a busy family life as a karate, music lessons and skateboard dad, and organizing annual summer family camping trips to every corner of Ontario and the east coast. Barry's passions included satellite radio (think Ham Radio signals bouncing off satellites in space), digging into his family ancestry back to the year 1600, and more recently, the joys of trailer life at Pigeon Lake in the Kawarthas. Barry was also an avid golfer, from his days of carrying his clubs on the subway in the 1980s to the Don Valley Golf Course, to memberships at Trafalgar Golf and Country Club and Markland Wood Golf Course in more recent years. The family would like to thank the cancer care team at Credit Valley Hospital, and in-home service from Mississauga Halton Home and Community Care Services. Special thanks to the palliative nurses, doctors and PSWs. Join us for Barry's Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 3, 2023. For service details, please visit: www.arbormemorial.ca/en/glenoaks