Gerald Barry Obituary

Gerald Edward (Jerry) Barry was born on July 10,1948 in Winona MN to Mathew and Lois (Christopherson) Barry. He joined his sisters Sandi and Kaye in the Barry family. The family first lived in Winona and then Rushford, they returned to Winona in time for Jerry to begin his education at Jefferson Elementary School in Winona. In 1957 the family moved to Pipestone, MN where Mat had taken a job managing the Minn-Kota Credit Agency. That fall, Mat returned to teaching at Pipestone Senior High School.
Jerry graduated with Honors from Pipestone Senior High School in 1966. While in school, he was a member of the High School Chorus and the Men's Chorus. He also lettered in football and baseball and served as President of the High School Reel Club. In Fall of 1966, he went on to continue his studies at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he eventually settled on a major in Humanities with a minor in English Literature. While in his Junior year at the U of M, Jerry took a job at UNIVAC Computer Systems in St Paul, where he learned the basic computer skills he leveraged later in life. He left UNIVAC in 1971 and subsequently worked at several computer and software firms in the Twin Cities.
In 1976, Jerry moved to Austin TX to work as a Technical Writer and Instructor at Texas Instruments. In 1979, he returned to Minnesota to start his career at IBM in Rochester.
Shortly after moving to Rochester Jerry met Maureen Halloran Allen, they were married on May 1, 1982. Jerry and Maureen and her two sons, Jeff and Jody Allen, continued to live in Rochester. In 2003, Jerry and Maureen moved to their 'retirement' home in Chatfield, MN. In 2019, they returned to Rochester.
Over the 28-years at IBM, Jerry held positions as Team Leader, Manager, Design Control Lead, Lead Strategist for the User Technologies Group, Technology Chief Engineering Manager for User Technologies, Product Development Team Lead, and, finally, IBM Corporate User Assistance Product Team Lead. Jerry retired at the end of 2007.
For the first several years of retirement, Jerry and Maureen wintered in Sun Lakes, AZ. They also travelled, including a one-month trip to Ireland, a three-week driving tour of Western and NW United States, and many trips to Colorado.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Maureen, stepsons Jeff of Rochester, Jody (Elizabeth) of Erie, CO, grandchildren Eden, Kaitlyn, Nicholas, and Hazel of Erie, sister Kaye (Duane) DeCrook of Jasper, MN. He is also survived by many nieces and nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Sandi Nickersen, and an infant sister and nephew Gregg Backer. He was also preceded in death by his beloved pets – Rabbit Floppy, Cat Tyke, and Dogs Lilla Van, BJ, Molly, Maude, Bailey, and Nikita (Jeff's dog who lived with Jerry and Maureen for four years).
The family would like to share deep gratitude to Dr. Hassan Alkhateeb, Hematologist at Mayo Clinic Rochester for his intelligence, empathy and compassion. Each of those gifts made Jerry informed and valued. Lastly our hearts go out to the amazing staff at Eisenberg Hospital and Season's Hospice, whose care provided Jerry comfort, support and dignity in his last days. The family asks for memorial gifts to be made to Mayo Foundation, specified to Hematology research or unrestricted to Season's Hospice.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00pm on October 11, 2024 at the River Park Chapel, Macken Funeral Home with a reception to follow. The visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial of his ashes will be in Calvary Cemetery in Chatfield, MN at a later date.