Obituary for John Aloysius Barrett Jr.
John A. Barrett, Jr.
family, strength, honor, integrity, leadership, education
WARREN — John A. Barrett, Jr.: John, Dad, PaPa: March 16, 1946 - May 7, 2020, surrounded with love, as always, by his family.
John was the proud son of, and pre-deceased by John A. and Maree Barrett and Bill and Maree Barrett Kirwan.
John’s life lessons and memories live on with his wife of 50 years, Becky, and their five children and their families: Rachel Barrett and Norm Black, Sarah Barrett Connelly and husband Bob, Aaron Barrett and wife Jessica, John A. Barrett III and wife Lara, and David Barrett and Erin Hall.
John loved, influenced and was endlessly entertained and swarmed by his 10 grandchildren: Anne Marie and Declan Connelly, Cole, Olivia, Ella and Anna Barrett, John A. Barrett IV and Dayton Barrett, Lauren Black, and Joel Black and wife Lauren. When asked what they best remember PaPa saying to them over the years, the overriding quote was “PaPa loves you!” followed by “No balls in the house”!
John loved and respected his six brothers and sisters and their families: Penny Barrett Spampinato and husband Bill and children Gregory, Jonathan and Stacia and their families, Ruthanne Barrett Schaufler and children Eric, Tara and Renee and their families, Betsy Barrett Cullen and children Matt and Luke and their families, Katie Barrett Jornov (who pre-deceased John) and husband Myron and children Craig, Kristin, Kyle, and Michael and their families, Tom and wife Marilyn and children Thomas and James and their families, and Dan (who pre-deceased John) and wife Cathy and children Jason, Daniel, Steven and Ryan and their families. John was also fortunate to have in his life four step brothers: Bill, Kevin, Pat and Jim Kirwan and their families.
John was also so very blessed with and loved by a large and extended in-law family: David and Cindy Chayka, daughter Gina and family, Larry Chayka and children Jim and Doug and families and Penny Williams, Jim and Claire Fisher and children Jim and Kevin and families, Marty and Suzy Chayka and children Austin, Andrew and Alexis, Mary Beth and Francis Gross and chlldren Francis and Christopher and families, and Paul and Marguerite Chayka and children Kyle and Kerry.
In John’s personal and professional life, his passion, avocation and vocation was coaching and education. Operative phrase being: “keep it simple, don’t overthink it”.
John was the only one who could explain to a 2 year old, almost 3 year old, how to put up 3 fingers to show how old he would soon be: “just make your thumb tackle your little finger”! Or how to teach a little child to crumble up newspapers to help PaPa make a fire in the fireplace: “just squeeze it into a baseball”! and John made the big life lessons/suggestions equally simple as he lead by example.
John’s professional coaching career began during Graduate School at SUNY Albany where he coached Men’s Soccer, then on to Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he was stationed, coaching the Ft. Sill Men’s Basketball Team before he was deployed to Vietnam as a First Lieutenant Army Artillery Forward Observer. Upon return from Vietnam, John coached Men’s Soccer at Nasson College in Springvale Maine.
John went on to coach Men’s golf, diving, and soccer at SMU (Southeastern Massachusetts University) in Dartmouth Massachusetts. As men’s golf coach, he led the Corsairs to three straight NCAA Division III championship tournaments, second in the national tournament and the university’s first national champion individual golfer. His soccer teams won four conference championships in four years and were top 10 in New England with All American honors. John was inducted into both the SMU Corsair Soccer and Golf Halls of Fame.
John then served as the first full-time Athletic Director at Western Connecticut State College in Danbury CT and he and family made the move to wonderful Warren CT in 1977. He missed the coaching life and was able to continue his career at Fairfield University and at SUNY New Paltz before accepting the position of Men’s Soccer Coach at DePaul University in Chicago IL where his record of total wins in a season and consecutive road wins in a season are still considered two of the best in program history. While at DePaul, he also earned Conference USA Coach of the Year honors. John then went to Duke University in Durham NC where he coached for several years before retiring and returning to his beloved home in Warren CT. Retirement lasted about 3 days at which point he was recruited to serve as the Director of Coaches for the New Milford Soccer Club for several years. Early in John’s career, he trained under renowned German soccer figure Dettmar Cramer to earn the coveted US Soccer Federation coaching licenses.
All during his coaching years, John’s road trips to recruit players and scout opponent teams were legendary and anytime family members or friends needed directions to anywhere USA, John could, without consulting a (paper) map, tell them exactly how to get there and pretty much to the minute how long it would take. To the end, he had no use or need for Mapquest.
Upon returning to Warren CT, John served on the Region 6 Board of Education for four years and then as Chairman of the Region 6 Board of Education for several years after that.
Contributions in John’s name can be made to The Warren Land Trust, 50 Cemetery Road, Warren CT 06754 or to The Warren Volunteer Fire Company 11 Sackett Hill Road, Warren CT 06754.
The extended Barrett Family would be so grateful, comforted and honored if you would share your memories of John online at: ThurstonRoweFuneralHome.com.
All services will be private and will be held at a later date when it is safe for the extended family to gather.
We love you too, John, Dad, PaPa and are so grateful to have been part of your wonderful life and journey.
family, strength, honor, integrity, leadership, education
WARREN — John A. Barrett, Jr.: John, Dad, PaPa: March 16, 1946 - May 7, 2020, surrounded with love, as always, by his family.
John was the proud son of, and pre-deceased by John A. and Maree Barrett and Bill and Maree Barrett Kirwan.
John’s life lessons and memories live on with his wife of 50 years, Becky, and their five children and their families: Rachel Barrett and Norm Black, Sarah Barrett Connelly and husband Bob, Aaron Barrett and wife Jessica, John A. Barrett III and wife Lara, and David Barrett and Erin Hall.
John loved, influenced and was endlessly entertained and swarmed by his 10 grandchildren: Anne Marie and Declan Connelly, Cole, Olivia, Ella and Anna Barrett, John A. Barrett IV and Dayton Barrett, Lauren Black, and Joel Black and wife Lauren. When asked what they best remember PaPa saying to them over the years, the overriding quote was “PaPa loves you!” followed by “No balls in the house”!
John loved and respected his six brothers and sisters and their families: Penny Barrett Spampinato and husband Bill and children Gregory, Jonathan and Stacia and their families, Ruthanne Barrett Schaufler and children Eric, Tara and Renee and their families, Betsy Barrett Cullen and children Matt and Luke and their families, Katie Barrett Jornov (who pre-deceased John) and husband Myron and children Craig, Kristin, Kyle, and Michael and their families, Tom and wife Marilyn and children Thomas and James and their families, and Dan (who pre-deceased John) and wife Cathy and children Jason, Daniel, Steven and Ryan and their families. John was also fortunate to have in his life four step brothers: Bill, Kevin, Pat and Jim Kirwan and their families.
John was also so very blessed with and loved by a large and extended in-law family: David and Cindy Chayka, daughter Gina and family, Larry Chayka and children Jim and Doug and families and Penny Williams, Jim and Claire Fisher and children Jim and Kevin and families, Marty and Suzy Chayka and children Austin, Andrew and Alexis, Mary Beth and Francis Gross and chlldren Francis and Christopher and families, and Paul and Marguerite Chayka and children Kyle and Kerry.
In John’s personal and professional life, his passion, avocation and vocation was coaching and education. Operative phrase being: “keep it simple, don’t overthink it”.
John was the only one who could explain to a 2 year old, almost 3 year old, how to put up 3 fingers to show how old he would soon be: “just make your thumb tackle your little finger”! Or how to teach a little child to crumble up newspapers to help PaPa make a fire in the fireplace: “just squeeze it into a baseball”! and John made the big life lessons/suggestions equally simple as he lead by example.
John’s professional coaching career began during Graduate School at SUNY Albany where he coached Men’s Soccer, then on to Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he was stationed, coaching the Ft. Sill Men’s Basketball Team before he was deployed to Vietnam as a First Lieutenant Army Artillery Forward Observer. Upon return from Vietnam, John coached Men’s Soccer at Nasson College in Springvale Maine.
John went on to coach Men’s golf, diving, and soccer at SMU (Southeastern Massachusetts University) in Dartmouth Massachusetts. As men’s golf coach, he led the Corsairs to three straight NCAA Division III championship tournaments, second in the national tournament and the university’s first national champion individual golfer. His soccer teams won four conference championships in four years and were top 10 in New England with All American honors. John was inducted into both the SMU Corsair Soccer and Golf Halls of Fame.
John then served as the first full-time Athletic Director at Western Connecticut State College in Danbury CT and he and family made the move to wonderful Warren CT in 1977. He missed the coaching life and was able to continue his career at Fairfield University and at SUNY New Paltz before accepting the position of Men’s Soccer Coach at DePaul University in Chicago IL where his record of total wins in a season and consecutive road wins in a season are still considered two of the best in program history. While at DePaul, he also earned Conference USA Coach of the Year honors. John then went to Duke University in Durham NC where he coached for several years before retiring and returning to his beloved home in Warren CT. Retirement lasted about 3 days at which point he was recruited to serve as the Director of Coaches for the New Milford Soccer Club for several years. Early in John’s career, he trained under renowned German soccer figure Dettmar Cramer to earn the coveted US Soccer Federation coaching licenses.
All during his coaching years, John’s road trips to recruit players and scout opponent teams were legendary and anytime family members or friends needed directions to anywhere USA, John could, without consulting a (paper) map, tell them exactly how to get there and pretty much to the minute how long it would take. To the end, he had no use or need for Mapquest.
Upon returning to Warren CT, John served on the Region 6 Board of Education for four years and then as Chairman of the Region 6 Board of Education for several years after that.
Contributions in John’s name can be made to The Warren Land Trust, 50 Cemetery Road, Warren CT 06754 or to The Warren Volunteer Fire Company 11 Sackett Hill Road, Warren CT 06754.
The extended Barrett Family would be so grateful, comforted and honored if you would share your memories of John online at: ThurstonRoweFuneralHome.com.
All services will be private and will be held at a later date when it is safe for the extended family to gather.
We love you too, John, Dad, PaPa and are so grateful to have been part of your wonderful life and journey.