Obituaries
Barry Alexander Taylor
April 8, 1943 – February 2, 2022
Funeral Home Wojcik’s Funeral Chapel
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BARRY TAYLOR
Peacefully in his sleep, Barry passed away after a brief battle with cancer. He is survived by his children, Nikki Humenchuk (David), Jason Taylor (Gemma) and their mom, Barb, and his beloved granddaughter, Brooklynn. Barry was predeceased by his parents Alec and Louise Taylor and is survived by his brother Gary (Irene), niece Sandi (Rob) and grandnephews Devon, Cameron, and Jaron. Many others are mourning his loss, far too many to mention, including extended family and friends.
Barry grew up in St. Germain (south St.Vital), attending Mountbatten School and working at market gardens and greenhouses in the area. He played football with friends as a kid and always loved watching football. He was a life-long Bomber fan, and Sundays were often spent watching NFL football. Superbowl Sunday was filled with lots of snacks, beers, and kleenex (those pre-game stories get you every time!). One of the last things we were able to tell Dad was that Tom Brady had retired, and now he could too.
Growing up just outside of the city limits, Barry was always interested in nature. He often played in the bush as a kid and was fascinated by the animals around him. He taught his own kids to love nature too, spending hours outside on the same extended piece of property he grew up on. National Geographic magazines arrived at the house monthly and were read front to back by all of us. The TV was often tuned to nature shows, and Shark Week became an annual favourite that was watched and later talked about. He was so proud that his granddaughter shared his love of nature, and she often called on him for his expertise to help her identify a bird by its song. He loved walking in the Bois-des-Esprits forest with his granddaughter and family, watching the deer and birds. Barry loved all kinds of animals, and over the years he had a number of dogs that were his beloved companions.
Barry started working at Canada Post at a young age. He eventually took early retirement, but he never stopped working, even from his hospital bed. Since ‘retiring’, Barry worked a variety of jobs including running the Banana Boat for a few years in its old Osborne location, driving for a variety of companies, working at the MTS Centre, and managing a few different apartment blocks.
Barry enjoyed trips to Lundar and the “old family homestead” which often included hunting with family and friends and, in later years, celebrating Thanksgiving.
Fishing was always one of Barry’s favourite pastimes, spending hours in his boat with friends and family alike on lakes all over Manitoba and a few in Ontario. Many stories have been told of the “big one that got away” and luckily there are photos to prove that some were actually caught. Over the years, our dad wasn’t content to just take us fishing; he taught all of us “kids” how to do everything ourselves: how to choose the right lure, how to attach a swivel to a line (this involved a lit cigarette :-O), how to “hold your mouth the right way” to attract the fish, to make sure to set the hook, and finally how to fillet your fish! So many memories have been made over the years in “Barry’s paradise”, Clearwater Lake, Manitoba with the boys, family, and good friends. Log cabin #2 had a perfect lake view, a fire roaring in the stone fireplace day and night, the music always on, and cold drinks ready for anyone who dropped by! Clearwater was like his second home, so much so that he spent some time working at Carpenter’s Lodge and guiding for them. He was thrilled to finally show his granddaughter how to “land” a lake trout up there a few years ago and watch her eat her fresh catch.
Music was always a big part of Barry’s life, not that he could play an instrument, but he certainly appreciated many forms of music and passed that love of music on to his kids. There was always some kind of music playing in the house or truck (usually cranked to 11), and bonfire parties at the Taylor house in St. Germain often drew complaints from the neighbours – well, from the ones who weren’t already at the party! Barry was often the “Music Man” at community parties and socials which sometimes spilled over into the Taylor house afterward, disco ball and strobe light included. Many nights were spent listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon or Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds in their entirety on his fantastic home stereo system, which included surround speakers around the hot tub in the house on Nathaniel – an experience topped only by eventually getting to see some of his favourite bands live.
Barry loved to garden and learned how to do so at a young age by working in the vegetable fields in St. Germain. There was always a salt shaker in the shed so he could pick a fresh cucumber and eat it right out of the garden, no need to wash it, just rub the dirt off. He proudly helped Nikki plant her garden at her first house and, despite living in an apartment for the last number of years, he grew tomatoes on his balcony. Barry was known for his hot and spicy pickled jalapeños and other vegetables. He was always finding new things to pickle, making each batch a little hotter than the last.
Driving was always something Barry loved to do, whether it was for work or pleasure. Road trips were his favourite way to holiday. He drove to and around the US a few times to visit Jason, first in Rhode Island and later in California. Dad loved the Kennedy connection on the east coast, from John Junior’s stomping grounds in Providence, to the JFK memorial in Hyannis, Cape Cod, and finally shedding tear at JFK’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery (a trip which included accidentally attending Ronald Reagan’s funeral procession!). On the west coast, attending an NFL game and a night in Vegas were highlights.
Barry made friends wherever he went, usually with the opening line “Hi, my name is Barry, what do you think of me so far?” He was a larger-than-life character, with many t-shirts with semi-appropriate sayings to prove it! Barry was always the life of the party precisely until he decided he’d had enough, at which point he’d head off to bed — even when he was the host! He did things his way, which generally meant shirtless, Keg-sized, and at top volume. He would even text or email in ALL CAPS!!…like he was shouting at you. He was charismatic, always telling jokes, making people laugh (often at himself) and this continued right through his illness. Joking with the medical staff at CancerCare, yelling “BINGO” when his number was called to have his blood taken (to a roar of laughter in the waiting room full of people), suggesting he and the staff go out for a Scotch rather than do his medical tests, calling the radiation nurses his angels, and the list goes on. He was always trying to put everyone at ease, including himself, so the whole process didn’t seem too bad. Nikki will miss hearing him call her his “Guardian Angel” when driving him to appointments, wheeling him in and out of CancerCare, and holding his hand while he got in and out of the car.
Having introduced his kids to the Star Wars movie series when it first came out, Dad started a new tradition of movie dates at Christmas with the whole family going to the theatre on Boxing Day to see the prequels, then the sequels. Before taking his granddaughter to see the sequels, he first had to get her up to speed with all the old ones, so he bought her the entire series to watch at home! When we were growing up, drive-in movies were a family fun event in the summer, sitting in the back of the truck, wrapped up in sleeping bags under the stars. One notable event was watching E.T. when it first came out, and Dad was the first one to shed a tear – not a surprise to anyone who knew him. Always the softie.
Barry shared his love of Jets games, Game of Thrones, NFL games, movies, music, and more with many friends and family, often having people over and ensuring he had their favourite food and drink available. Nikki was able to take him to his first Jets 2.0 game for his 70th birthday and he was thrilled to sit right behind their bench and see his favourite player, Byfuglien play!
Barry’s granddaughter Brooklynn will always remember him as the grandpa who got down on the floor and played whatever she wanted him to play…Barbies, trains, Lite Brite, puzzles, colouring, dress up, etc. He was always up for fun! He also watched his fair share of Disney movies with her too, loving them and shedding a few tears. He was one of Brooklynn’s biggest cheerleaders, often on the sidelines of her activities and quick to give a hug and praise afterward!
Barry was generous almost to a fault and would give you the shirt off his back. We have heard story after story from many people lately to reinforce this, and from his hospital bed he reminded us of many things in his apartment that he wanted certain people to have. To keep that spirit of generosity alive, all of his furniture and kitchen belongings were given away to people in his block, and his clothing was all donated to charities. Barry was a caring man who was always concerned with how everyone was doing, remembered everyone’s birthdays, and enjoyed getting to know people of all walks of life.
There are far too many people to thank for their support, kindness, and the compassion shown during this difficult time. We appreciate you all! We do feel the need to thank a few people that went above and beyond to help Barry and his family over the last few months: Roger, Rod, Bakkar, Dr. Gingrich and nurse Cheryl of CancerCare, the staff at HSC in the Emergency Room, Wards GB2, GA4, WR3, and Palliative Care team. At the best of times medical staff work under incredibly tough conditions, right now the conditions are at their worst. The staff in all areas of the hospital were always very compassionate and showed patience, we thank you for that. Help them out…get vaccinated!
At our dad’s request, no formal service will be held. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to CancerCare Manitoba or a charity of your choice.
We love you, Dad. Sleep well.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Barry Alexander Taylor April 8 1943 February 2 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba