John Hoitt Barrett III

1966 - 2021

John Hoitt Barrett III of Reading, passed away peacefully on August 11, 2021, surrounded by his wife and two children, after a valiant struggle with lung cancer.

John was the beloved high school sweetheart and husband of nearly 33 years of Hayley A. (Dalton) Barrett. He was a devoted father to Rose K. Barrett and her wife Jessie Belfer of Somerville and John H. Barrett IV and his girlfriend Anaya Green of Austin, TX. As the youngest son of his parents, the remarkable John H. Barrett, Jr. and Mary (Toomey) Barrett of Plymouth (both formerly of Reading), John entered the world to find the love and laughter of a huge and happy family waiting to surround and sustain him. He will be sorely missed by his nine siblings and their families, including sister Kathleen Leslie and her husband Sanford of Plymouth, brother Michael Barrett and his wife Nancy of Lexington, sister Mary Fraser and her husband Arthur of Reading, sister Susan Kalmakis and her husband George of Gloucester, brother James Barrett and his wife Susan of NJ, brother Stephen Barrett and his wife Margie of NJ, sister Anne Barrett Doyle and her husband William of Boston, brother Thomas Barrett and his wife Colleen of Rockport, and sister Christina Asbell and her husband Robert of ME. John is also survived by (at present) 35 much-loved nieces and nephews and 30 spectacular great-nieces and -nephews.

John was educated at Tufts University (BSE) and Dartmouth College (MBA). He spent years as a management consultant, then as a Vice President at Citigroup, before switching to executive search focused on the technology industry. As a CEO-CFO level recruiter, he loved the thrill of the hunt and making sure the very best executives found the right opportunities. John was generous with his time and expertise, mentoring junior colleagues, and following the progress of clients and candidates as they built thriving careers and businesses. At ON Partners, his final place of employment, he was a Managing Partner. He was grateful to his many ON colleagues for their years of camaraderie and collaboration. He considered them friends, one and all. 

John was deeply satisfied with the life that he built with his wife Hayley. He coined the word “schwindy,” indicating comfort and luxury, to describe his favorite activities. A “schwindy” night involved his homemade paella, a glass of fine wine, and enjoying an evening on the patio with his family.

John and his family would like to recognize his brilliant oncology and palliative care teams at Dana Farber. They shepherded him through treatment, including several clinical trials, with intelligence and compassion. Lastly, the family thanks the staff of Brigham and Women’s CWN 7 South. They made John’s final days and hours comfortable.

Funeral Home visiting hours will be held at Douglass, Edgerley and Bessom Funeral Home, 25 Sanborn St. (corner of Woburn St.) in Reading, on Thursday, August 19, from 4:00-8:00pm.  A Mass of Christian Burial for John will be held at St. Agnes Church, 186 Woburn St. in Reading, on Friday, August 20 at 10:30am. Burial to follow at Lakeside Cemetery in Wakefield.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in John’s memory to BreatheON for LUNGevity in support of lung cancer research and patient advocacy.

Kindly note: To best protect everybody’s health, especially considering the rise in Covid-19 cases, all those attending the services will be required to wear a face mask.