Barry Turnbull

1956 - 2017

Barry Turnbull

Ventura, CA

Ventura/Los Angeles County radio sports anchor Barry Turnbull was born on the first day of summer, June 20, 1956. He died on the last day of summer 61 years later, on Sept. 21, 2017.

Barry loved his wife, Kathleen, their dogs, Angel and Angus, Disneyland and the Boys of Summer-especially the Los Angeles Angels.

Barry grew up in and around Whittier, Calif., attending Garden Grove High School.

He often entertained friends with childhood stories of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, a second cousin of Barry's.

It was Barry who came up with the name of their album "Smiley Smile," which featured the hit single "Heroes and Villains."

After starting his career as a radio sportscaster in Palm Springs, Barry worked at KVEN and KVTA in Ventura County, KNX radio in Los Angeles.

One of his coworkers from the early days in Palm Springs remembers Barry doing the late night shift, sleeping at the station, then doing the early morning shift.

Randy Kerdoon of KNX said he often heard Barry on the air on KNX during his sports anchoring days at rival KFWB.

"In fact, I remember meeting Barry in a Rams post game locker room....he was wearing a dress," Randy said. "If I remember right it was for comedic appeal rather than making any political statement."

"Barry was passionate about sports with an old school sensibility-he thought players made too much money," said KVTA news director Rich Gualano. "He won a number of Golden Mike and other awards and was very good at boiling down a busy day in sports into a couple of minutes."

Barry's other passion was Disneyland. His wife of almost 19 years, Kathleen (Weaver) Turnbull, said "he would have put mouse ears on the house if I had let him."

Friends described "Bear" as a gentle giant of a man who felt things very keenly.

Barry was a practitioner for the Centers for Spiritual Living. His friend of 30 years, Rev. Jymme Taylor, will be preside at Barry's memorial beginning at 5 p.m., Wed., Oct. 4 at the Emerging Spirits Center at 4601 Telephone Rd. in Ventura.

After the memorial, there will be a screening of Barry's favorite movie "Field of Dreams."

Less than a month before Barry succumbed to various long term, chronic health problems, he wrote about how the movie made him cry, every time.