Obituary of Catherine M. Barry

Catherine Barry, a Port Washington resident since 1968, died at home on Tuesday, Dec. 3, from cancer. She was 80 years of age.

Mrs. Barry was a fourth-grade teacher at St. Peter of Alcantara School in Port Washington between 1985 and her retirement in 2004. Before that, she taught pre-school at Child’s World Nursery School, on Port Washington’s Middle Neck Road. For decades, Mrs. Barry was a lead singer and member of the choir at Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church in Port Washington.

The only child of the late Anne and Michael O’Brien, Mrs. Barry grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan and graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. A fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers in her youth, she had been a loyal New York Mets fan since the team’s inaugural season in 1962.

After retiring, she and her husband traveled extensively. These trips took them to numerous European nations, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, and throughout the United States. The couple also drove each summer to upstate New York’s Saratoga Race Course during its thoroughbred horse racing season.

Mrs. Barry is survived by her husband of 58 years, Michael, and their three sons: Michael (Theresa) of Manhasset, NY; Kevin of New York, NY; and Christopher (Christine) of Floral Park, NY. In addition, Mrs. Barry’s survivors include eight grandchildren: Michael, Owen, Griffin, Nicholas, Emily, Isaac, Peter, and Connor.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Fairchild Sons Funeral Chapel, 1570 Northern Boulevard, Manhasset, NY, where Mrs. Barry is being waked on Thursday, Dec. 5, and Friday, Dec. 6, from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on both days. A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, at 9:30 a.m. at Our Lady Fatima Roman Catholic Church, 6 Cottonwood Road, Port Washington, NY. Internment to follow at Nassau Knolls Cemetery, 500 Port Washington Boulevard, Port Washington, NY.