Barry C. Anderson passed away at home early Sunday morning
September 11, 2022 holding Pauline’s hand and his little and beloved
dog Gracie by his side.
Barry was born in McAdam, NB on December 11, 1948 He was
predeceased by his parents Charles Wilbur Anderson and Annabelle Pearl
(Ketch) Anderson, his oldest sister and the first-born member of the
siblings, Margaret Rose Anderson, his older brother William Hazen
Anderson and brother-in-law William MacDonald.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, M. Pauline (Beaudet)
Anderson, brother Robert Anderson (Mary), sisters Bette MacDonald,
Bonita McGaw (Garry) and Barbara Blair (Lyndon), his children Paul
Anderson, grandson Gabriel Anderson, granddaughter, Annabelle
Anderson; daughter Debra Steeves (Daniel), granddaughters Cassidy and
Kennedy Albinet (Jonathan); daughter Susan Barnard (Christopher),
sisters-in-law Lillian Given, Lynn LeBlanc (Wade), Jacqueline Mohan
(Peter); brothers-in-law Dennis Beaudet (Joan), Paul Beaudet and
several nieces and nephews. Also worthy of mention here is his
‘trucker brother’ Brian Greenlaw.
What can one say about Barry! Here
are some of the things his children had to say about their
Dad.
Paul-Dad loved the farmhouse and especially the old barn
where we lived on the Murphy Road. My friend Stacey and I enjoyed
celebrating Dad’s birthday singing to Garth Brooks songs on karaoke
one year. Dad celebrated each one of our graduations in a big way with
live music, lots of BBQ delights and dancing in and out of his beloved
barn. There were many such celebrations over the years. I got my work
ethic from Dad. In my teens I accompanied him on numerous trips when
he worked for Mayfield Moving. It was very exciting to be part of that
and that Dad even allowed me to help load and unload. I learned a lot
and saw for myself how hard he worked and that inspired me to always
give my best in the jobs I have had.
Debbie-I’ll always remember Dad’s zest for life and his
helping others with a generous and giving heart. I say this to honor
Dad and his immense capacity to love that still lives on in the many
he’s cared for and touched. I’ll always remember and greatly
appreciate the sacrifice he made in faithfully sticking with jobs that
had him on the road for days and weeks at a time, maneuvering a rig
and roads that would be a daunting task for most but he made it look
so easy with his proficient skills and abilities. His hearty laugh and
love for music will forever resonate with me. Even his granddaughter
Cas mentioned that one of the fondest memories that came to her mind
was driving in the truck with Grampy listening to “Kiss an Angel
Good Morning”.
Susan-I loved how Dad was always able to crack a
joke no matter if he was happy or sad. He loved to sing and lots of
times he made up his own words to a song to make us all laugh. I
admired that in him so much. Dad and I would share jokes and messages
constantly and there were many times when we both couldn’t sleep and
we would keep sending stuff back and forth to crack each other up. In
my older years I grew closer to Dad and loved that I was able to
laugh, cry, talk about politics and ‘talk like a
trucker’ with him all in one conversation.
Barry was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He took to
heart what they stood for and selflessly volunteered his time to help
where and when he could. He worked for the church on a volunteer basis
for several years and was on call 24/7. He handled maintenance,
cleaning, scheduling, snow shovelling, lawn mowing, funeral team,
serving on the altar, cleaning the rectory, cleaning and maintaining
St Patrick’s Hall, working the canteen at bingo, helping with suppers,
helping the priest and just anything and everything that needed doing.
During the ice storm he organized a thank you meal for all the power
commission and other service workers in town which was held at St
Pat’s Hall. Besides working for his church Barry did volunteering in
the community for Charlotte County Cancer. He helped bring the walk to
St Stephen. He also volunteered at Charlotte County Hospital and the
St Stephen Food Bank. Whatever Barry undertook he did so with a
vengeance. Oftentimes people would call out of the blue for his help
because they knew he would do his very best to get them the help they
needed.
He was a truck driver most of his working career. Before
trucking full time, he worked at the Save Easy, Haley Lumber, the
Hockey Stick Plant and for a 3-year period he & his brother
Bill ran a frozen food business where he gave away as much as they
sold. At the same time, he cut cleaning rags for a number of
businesses in the area.
There was a lot more to Barry Anderson than meets the eye.
Suffice it to say that he was God fearing, loving and extremely
generous and big-hearted person who will be missed by his family and
friends and the many he helped in the course of his 73 years here on
earth. Rest in peace dear husband. You suffered enough over the past
year.
There will be no funeral service or visitation at this time,
a celebration of life will be held at a later date.
For those who wish, donations to a charity of one’s
choice would be appreciated by the family. Condolences may be sent to
the family online at www.mehanfuneralhome.ca
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Barry C Anderson 1948 2022..
Death notice for the town of: St-Stephen, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick