Dr. Richard V. Barry

Dr. Richard V. Barry, 89 of New Paltz, NY passed away peacefully on 11/03/2025 at the Woodland Pond at New Paltz, SNF. Dr. Richard V. Barry occupied many roles in a long career in education: high school English teacher, multi-department supervisor, principal, district director of education. A Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of New York University where he obtained an M.A., Dick then earned a second master's degree and his doctorate from Columbia University, all four degrees on full fellowships and in related fields of English. He also did post-doctoral work at Harvard in strategic organizational planning. In retirement Dick has published twelve books, two specifically recounting his first two years and then eight years of residency at Woodland Pond. Dick was a man of many faces and personas. While, he was a prolific writer of fiction, the greatest was his own life story. The life of a fabulist can be taxing and exhausting. It starts with a rich imagination, utter confidence, and an ironclad memory. The narrative must be as tightly knit as a handwoven tapestry, the back of which hangs against the wall so that the viewer can never see the loosely hanging threads. For Dick there was nothing more satisfying than having an audience enraptured by his storytelling. He was a one man show. As in cinematography, he understood no one would dare rush behind the screen produced by light on a reflective surface to find the actor waiting backstage. Dick through sleight of hand and legerdemain kept you focused on the twinkle in his blue eye, knowing you'd always confuse the performer for the real man. After eighty-nine years, the show won't end. Having no living family, he wanted to express his appreciation in a tangible way by establishing a scholarship fund for all Woodland Pond employees who sought to advance their professional prospects through ongoing education. He established a scholarship fund, to be administered by the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley as his lasting tribute to the extraordinary staff and the happy years they afforded him at Woodland Pond. Arrangements have been entrusted to Joseph. J. Darrow Sr. Funeral Home, Inc. 39 So. Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. (845)452-1840. To send online condolences please visit our website at www.darrowfuneralhome.org. THERE ARE NO SERVICES PLANNED AT THIS TIME.
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