David Thomas Barry, 84, of Meredith, passed away on Monday, August 26, 2013 at Golden View Health Care Center, after a lengthy illness.
Born on September 13, 1928, in Providence, RI, he was the son of Philip C. and Celeste (Cinq-Mars) Barry. David was raised in Providence, attending local schools. After graduating high school he joined the U.S. Navy and served with honor and courage during World War II. Upon returning from the war he entered Brown University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering.
Throughout his career, David worked in a variety of positions primarily on the design and testing of weapons systems, particularly those associated with nuclear submarines. He worked for the Ordinance Research Lab at Penn State University, the Federal Product Company, of RI, the Naval Underwater Systems Center, in Newport, RI, the Geosciences Department at Texas Instruments, in Dallas, he ran a small Defense Contracting Firm, and worked for Martin Marietta’s Navy Systems Department, in Baltimore.
He retired in 1991 to Houston, TX with his wife Ruth and oldest son. In 1996, they moved to Bandera, TX where he resided until 2007. With the passing of his son Philip, and his deteriorating health, David was forced to move to Meredith to be closer to his surviving family members.
David was an avid reader of history, politics, military strategy and tactics, and he liked to research genealogy.
He is predeceased by his beloved wife of 29 years, Ruth E. (Tullgren), in January, 1997; his son Philip, in 2007, and his daughter, Pamela, in 2013.
David is survived by his six children, Susan Black and her husband Doug, of Coos Bay, OR, Allison, of Cranston, RI, Theodore and his wife Patty, of Milford, NH, Dennis and his wife Janet, of Newport News, VA, Christine of Chesapeake, VA, and Jonathan and his wife Ann, of Meredith, NH; eleven grandchildren, Adrienne, Sam, Patrick, Kyle, Derek, Samantha, Donovan, Patrick, Jessica, Elizabeth, and Victoria, and four great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in David’s memory to the Wounded Warrior Project: www.woundedwarriorproject.org