Nancy Barry
Nancy Jane Barry, 72, of Lansing died Sunday, April 11, 2021 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Memorial Mass was held Friday, April 16 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing with Rev. John Moser as the Celebrant. Inurnment followed at Gethsemane Cemetery in Lansing.
Nancy Jane was born November 29, 1948 in Grinnell. She was daughter number three of John Leland Barr and Laura Jean (Hammer) Barr. Nancy grew up in rural Grinnell. In 1967 she graduated from Grinnell High School and she continued her education at Morningside College in Sioux City. Her education at Morningside included a semester at the United Nations in New York City and a semester in France. She received her B.A. degree in 1971.
Upon graduation, Nancy took a position as a French language teacher at Hawarden. She taught there for two years. October 6, 1973, Nancy added a Y to her last name by marrying James Barry from Marcus. Nancy and Jim made their home in the Ames area. Nancy and Jim were not blessed with children.
Nancy enrolled in the Iowa State University Masters program and earned a Masters degree in Journalism in 1977. She went on to work as an editor at the Iowa State University Statistical Laboratory. In 1981, she was diagnosed and treated for an acoustic neuroma on the left side of her brain. This left her deaf in her left ear.
Also in 1981, Nancy and Jim moved to New York state to explore life on the east coast for a few years. Those few years turned into 27 years. While on the east coast, Nancy enjoyed making more friends, exploring the area and playing on the water with their boat “Hudson Hawkeye”.
Upon Jim’s full retirement in 2007, Nancy and Jim moved to Lansing. Nancy went from living on the Hudson River to living on the Mississippi River. While enjoying life in Lansing, Nancy spent many enjoyable hours doing volunteer work at the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library. She also participated in the many social activities at the library.
Nancy was a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic church in Lansing. She enjoyed sending cards, letters and gifts to relatives and friends, especially the many little great-nieces and nephews. One of her main hobbies was stamp collecting. Nancy’s adventures in life on this earth concluded Sunday, April 11, 2021.
Nancy was preceded in death by one older sister, Sandy Barr; her parents, John and Jean Barr; her husband’s parents, John and Viola Barry; and two of Jim’s brothers, Douglas and Michael Barry.
She is survived by her husband, Jim, of Lansing; her oldest sister, Joy Weeks Anderson of Grinnell; Jim’s oldest brother, Gerald (Mary) Barry of Owatonna, MN; her sister-in-law, Cindy Barry of Holstein; and her sister-in-law, Caryn Barry of Marcus. There are also seven nieces, one nephew and three step-nephews, and many great-nieces and great-nephews, all of whom Nancy loved and they loved her.
Memorials in Nancy’s name can be given to: Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT), Immaculate Conception Church in Lansing, or a charity you think appropriate.
Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Lansing assisted the family with arrangements.
