Charles Edward Barry

Charles Edward Barry was born Tuesday, December 13, 1927 in Anniston, Alabama. The slow-talking Alabama farm boy was the second son of Willis Clifford Barry and Mary Emma Lett. He graduated from Jacksonville High School. He was predeceased by his wife, Norma Hudson Barry in 2019. He is survived by his brother, Hubert Barry; sister, Mary Mann; and many loving nieces and nephews. He will be buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery in a private ceremony.

Charles joined the Marine Corps in April 1946 and was sent to Germany near the Russian border. He left the Marine Corps in 1949 but with jobs difficult to come by, he enlisted in the army, where he served until 1953. He then enlisted in the Air Force, where he served until his retirement in 1967. Most of his time was spent in various jobs involving the motor pool, and he could fix just about anything that had an engine.

Ed, or Barry, as his New Mexico family called him, started out in ordinance in the Marine Corps. He served as part of the Special Weapons Battalion while stationed at Sandia Base in Albuquerque. During his time there, he received a special assignment to serve as part of Operation Teapot at Mercury, Nevada. Following his military retirement, Ed and Norma lived in Lakeside, Montana, for 35 years, where he worked for McElroy & Wilken Ready Mix as chief mechanic and purchasing agent in Kalispell, Montana.

During his time in New Mexico and Nevada, he met Norma Hudson. They were married on Saturday, March 12, 1955 at the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas, Nevada, and had a long and loving marriage until her death, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. They made eight trips to Alaska, and more to the Canadian Rockies. Their beautiful Montana home was a destination for family and friends in the summertime, creating wonderful memories of his incredible garden; deer in the yard; fishing trips; moose-watching at Lost Lake; bear-watching at the dump; and visits to Glacier National Park.

It was while they lived in Montana that Barry developed his love of hunting. They ate wild meat and fish, and the fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables and fruits from their own garden. He would eventually donate a fantastic collection of North American species to the Anniston Alabama Museum of Natural History. Included in his collection was a Grand Slam of bighorn sheep, an Alaskan grey wolf, a brown bear, a Boone & Crockett Rocky Mountain goat, a record bobcat, a mountain lion, and caribou. His last hunt, a Boone and Crockett desert bighorn sheep killed in the Valley of Fires in Nevada, took place when he was 85.

In 1998, they moved to warmer weather, settling in Silver City, New Mexico. Barry once again planted an amazing garden, and they continued their canning and freezing, growing all of their own vegetables.

In 2018, they moved to Atria Vista del Rio in Albuquerque where Barry could have help caring for Norma. Following her death, he entered fully into the life at Atria, where he was well-known for his stories and jokes. He made dear friends and endeared himself to staff and resident alike. They provided wonderful care for him in his last days.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at New Covenant Church, 7201 Paseo Del Norte NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113. followed by private burial in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. The family wishes to thank the staff at Atria Vista del Rio in Albuquerque for the loving care he received. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/.