(There is a story behind the featured photograph, and it comes at the end, so please read or scroll.)
My lifelong friend Barry Sears died unexpectedly in his sleep earlier this week at the age of 65. We remained very close well into our 30s, and never fell out of touch for very long afterward, for which I’ll be eternally grateful.
It seems social media can occasionally be a facilitator of good outcomes.
If I might quote the obituary: “Barry was known as a man to depend on; someone who would listen or lend a hand when needed. He cared deeply for his family, friends, and the world around him, believing that you should give back whenever you can.”
Fundamentally and recurringly, Barry was a good person, a trait echoed by those mourning his passing. I can add only one small observation, which always meant a great deal to me.
Barry derived considerable strength from his Christian faith, and I’ve always been an atheist, but not once during six decades of friendship did he ever actively intervene in my absence of faith. Consequently, I respected his all the more. There is more than a little to be learned from this, in my estimation.
He loved baseball and music. A mutual friend tells a great story.
I would chat with Barry in the lobby of the B&W tower when I last worked downtown. When I first met Barry, it came up in conversation that we were both unapologetic fans of the same favorite Judas Priest album. Once you wax loquacious about the greatness of “Killing Machine,” it is easy to talk about everything else.
In mulling Barry’s departure from the planet, I think back to the ways that he touched me and influenced my life. There are many. One that casual friends and observers might not know is that indirectly, Barry was responsible for a huge part of my career in beer by inviting me to lunch at the fledgling Sportstime Pizza in New Albany, eventually to become New Albanian Brewing Company.
I wrote about it a few years back.
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