BURKE, John Barrington 'Barry'

Barry passed peacefully at 94 years young on July 4th 2024, after a 9 month visit at Errinrung Long Term Care Home in Thornbury, ON.

Born on March 5, 1930, in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Barry was the eldest son of Evelyn (nee Breen) and Charles Burke. Barry was the loving husband of Doreen (nee Sioui) deceased and father to Karen (Glenn Porter), Diane (Rommel Santos) and John deceased (Shelley nee Johnston), and grandfather (aka Buppa) to Nolan Barnes. He was also big brother to Bud deceased, Sharon deceased (Burt deceased), Wendy (Dave), Wayne, Elaine (Jack) & David (Karen).

Barry left Sydney as quite a young man, with his initial move being down to Halifax where he started on the road to exploring his independence. Always the adventurer, he earned his pilot’s license & worked for Trans Canada Airlines and making his next move east to Montreal. Barry, being a natural businessman, soon saw another opportunity there and found himself as a car salesman for Blue Bonnet Ford on Decarie Blvd. He was Blue Bonnet’s top salesman for several years and we can still hear him tell stories about what a piece of junk the Corvette was and that the Thunderbird was the better car. He then worked for Block & Anderson where he sold business equipment. While he was with these companies, Barry joined the Playboy Club where he became a member. He loved talking about the many good times he had there, as well as, at Ruby Foo’s & Tommy Tommasso’s.

It was in Montreal, where he met his match and quickly fell in love with Doreen. She used to talk fondly of all their dates and especially those that were spent flying with him in the small private plane he owned at the time. They married in May of 1959 and lived on Trans Island Ave., in the Cote-des-Neiges/NDG area, where Karen was born. A short time later and looking forward to growing their family, they moved to Baie-D’Urfe, in the West Island of Montreal. Here, Diane and John were then born, completing their family unit. Their next move was not far, to Beaconsfield (also in the West Island), which is where Barry on many an occasion, wistfully remarked that their home on Gilford Ave. was his ‘favourite’ house.

Always a successful entrepreneur, Barry soon chased another business idea, moving the family back to Halifax to run Selection 500. They were only back in the Maritimes just a little over 2 years, before another business move to Mississauga, where he began a new venture as a paper executive with Price Wilson, later known as Abitibi Price. With this, they purchased a home in the Lorne Park neighbourhood, where there was soon a constant revolving door of parties & inter-connected backyards between the Burke, Barrow, Humphrey & Loberg houses. This neighbourhood will never be the same again! Barry also joined the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club as a golf member. Golf, however, would not be a big deal for him until much later on in his life.

When Barry left Abitibi Price, he was not yet ready to fully retire, so, instead, he bought rights to the Dixie Lee Fried Chicken restaurant franchises, where Diane also worked with him. Next up and still resisting retirement, he remained in the food service business and firstly joined The Prime Restaurant Group and then, again some time later, he moved on to Neate Roller Food Service. Barry very much enjoyed working with both of these companies over the next number of years. During this time, he thought it would also be a great idea to learn how to ski, when he and Doreen built their winter chalet beside the Beaver River, on the road to Duncan, near Kimberley and became members of the Beaver Valley Ski Club. That was a very short-lived hobby, however, as he realized that he was a better fit for the apres-ski scene than that of the hillside activities. In 1986, the chalet was sold ending his ski career.

The Burke’s appeared back on the Collingwood scene in the early 90’s, to enjoy their new ‘weekend’ home in Lighthouse Point. It was during this time, in 1997, when Barry purchased and opened the East Side Mario’s franchise in Collingwood, alongside his son John and family friend, Scott Spracklin. They owned and operated the restaurant for the next 10 years. The restaurant became a great meeting place on Friday nights for friends and family alike!

Somewhere in the midst of all this, Barry decided it was time to ‘slow down’ and somehow managed to talk Doreen into living full time in Collingwood. So, they pulled the plug in Mississauga and sold both their home on Truscott Drive, as well as their Lighthouse Point condo, in order to buy their new home on Silver Creek Drive. This home, would be a close second to his feelings about their home in Beaconsfield as his favourite…if not, arguably, being ‘the’ new number one.

If having the East Side’s franchise was not enough, Barry also had ‘The Alporn’ Restaurant for a few years, until his cancer diagnosis in the year 2000. Being the tough and determined man he was, he remarkably won his difficult fight with the illness in the same year. He then fully retired and joined the Blue Mountain Golf & Country Club, where as a member, he took up the game of golf as his new full time activity. Barry and Doreen both loved their Vodka Manhattan and Vodka Martini drinks, which were enjoyed every afternoon promptly at 4:00PM, with the airing of their favourite soap opera, The Young & The Restless! You dared not to call during this hour…

We could not celebrate Barry without mentioning Doreen, as his life was so synonymous with hers. Barry & Doreen always surrounded themselves with their family and their many incredible, longtime friends, dating from their life spent in the Montreal, Halifax and Mississauga days, to those lived in Collingwood. All were a highlight of a long, happy life well lived!

Plans to celebrate Barry’s life are underway. We are hoping to hold this Celebration of Life sometime in September 2024, please check the funeral home website for details. Friends may visit Barry's online Book of Memories at www.fawcettfuneralhomes.com