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Enrique Barrera Obituary
Born Oct. 28, 1925, in Barcelona, Spain, he was the son of the late Jose and Carmen Lara Barrera.
He immigrated to the United States in 1950, and was married to Mercedes Barry Barrera, Derrick City, Pa., who predeceased him. In 1982, he married Cheryl "Sheri" Vance Barrera.
Professor Barrera taught Spanish for 42 years in the Modern Language Department at St. Bonaventure University and founded and coached their men's varsity soccer team for 17 seasons. He retired in 1995.
In 2008, "Coach" Barrera was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame.
He had also owned and operated the Harness Shop Restaurant and co-owned the Crystal Palace Restaurant, in Ellicottville, for many years.
As a ski instructor at Holiday Valley Resort, he taught for over 50 years and was a member of the Ellicottville Ski Club. He was also an avid golfer, and was known for his kindness and wonderful sense of humor.
He is survived by his wife, Sheri; daughters, Anneen, Susy, Maria and Laurie Barrera of Ellicottville; son, Enrique "Rick" (Keely) Barrera of San Diego, Calif.; Sheri's children, Julie Vance of Haines, Ark., and Phillip (Elizabeth) Vance of Orchard Park; grandsons, Hunter and Dylan Barrera of San Diego, Phillip Jr. and Bode Vance of Orchard Park, Kadin and Koa Doddridge of Haines; sister-in-law, Theresa O'Rourke of Bonita Springs, Fla.; and niece, Yolanda Barreros of Rye; brothers-in-law, Herb Thomas of Northeast Harbor, Maine, and John Thomas of Ellicottville; and several grand-nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his brother, Jaime Barreros; and niece, Ava Maria Barreros.
A private memorial mass will be held. There will be no visitation.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the O'Rourke & O'Rourke Inc. Funeral Home, 25 River St., Salamanca.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Ellicottville/Great Valley Fire Department, PO Box 397, Ellicottville, NY 14731; or to a charity of choice.
E-condolences can be sent to [email protected] or posted to facebook.com/onofh.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Enrique Barrera
4 Entries
Maria victoria durand silvela
December 4, 2017
Enrique was a kind and generous man, From Madrid, Spain born in a very good family,his death is a terrible loss, great skier and a great teacher at St. Bonaventure University, I met him in the late 60s, went to his home several times and met his children and his wife, Descansa en paz Enrique, te echamos de menos. Maria Victoria
Dick Hanson
November 27, 2017
Dear Anneen, Laurie, Susy and Maria. So sorry to hear of your father's passing. He was such a devoted father, a stalwart of the community, and just an all around good man. He was always so uplifting, and a joy to be around. Those times I was able to play golf with you and your father, the outing was always such a treat (even though he always seemed to end up with the best score!). My condolences to you all.
Bob Miller
November 22, 2017
Sheri,
So sorry to hear about Ricky. I remember how fondly you spoke of him. You are in my thoughts, take care.
November 8, 2017
Anneen and family, Our thoughts and prayers are with you! Dennis and Linda Thiel
Showing 1 - 4 of 4 results
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Memorial Events
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Funeral services provided by:
O'Rourke & O'Rourke Inc Funeral Home25 River Street, Salamanca, NY 14779
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