Barry was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Sam and Francis (Botnick) Sack, who were children to Russian immigrants. Barry was very close to his maternal grandparents, who shared their home.
Barry’s early jobs included working at a drugstore, an ice cream store, an ice cream plant and he drove an ice cream truck. An advocate for social justice, Barry participated in anti-war protests. This included a march in Washington, DC in 1969, which was also a march for civil rights and women’s rights. After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in psychology, Barry earned his M.D. from the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo. He did his internship at Rutgers University and his residency in psychiatry at the University of Arizona. He completed an additional residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry) in Cleveland, Ohio, at Metro General Hospital. Barry relocated to Tucson with his family in 1986, where he would practice psychiatry for 15 years, guided by the Oath of Maimonides in the treatment of patients from all walks of life.
Barry leaves behind his wife of 46 years, Carol; his twin daughters Julie and Naomi (Steve); brothers Paul (Joy) and Mark (Aviv, of blessed memory); sister Gwen; cousins Lippy (Marcie) Mazur, Ken (Rhea) Sack; many nieces and nephews; and family friends, Steven Fox and David Rapkin.
Barry will be remembered as a loving father, caring and compassionate physician, a gifted teacher, good listener, and a music lover with a wonderful sense of humor. Intelligent and witty, Barry was a sweet, gentle dreamer guided by Jewish values and the belief in equal rights. A determined and principled person with a rebel spirit, Barry could also be stubborn: his mother called him “Barry, Barry, quite contrary.” Dedicated to his family, who loved him dearly, Barry will be greatly missed. As he liked to say, “I did it my way.”
At the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness Southern Arizona) www.namisa.org.
