User:Rojobarry/J. Esmonde Barry

J. Esmonde Barry

J. (Joseph) Esmonde Barry was born to the late P. Esmonde and Eileen (Horgan) Barry on October 25, 1923 in Saint John, New Brunswick Canada. He married Maureen (Strang) Barry in 1950 at Melrose, N.B., with whom he raised a family of 12 children during their 57 years of marriage, who raised their 29 grandchildren.

After graduating from St. Vincent's Boys High School in 1941, he received his BA degree from St. Joseph's University in Memramcook. In 1957 he received his Investment Dealer License from U.N.B. Esmonde was a Sales Representative and Zone Manager for International Harvester Company form 1947 to 1956. In 1957 he was a Registered Representative of Eastern Securities Ltd.. In 1964 he joined Richardson Securities which merged with Dominion Securities in 1970. He became Manager in 1975 and held that position until his retirement in 1986.

However, it was for his lifetime of community involvement that Esmonde was best known, including his years spent as the voice of the Friends of St. Joe's. He was instrumental in keeping St. Joseph's Hospital open in Saint John's uptown. He likened the quest he began in 1976 to save the facility to a real bare-knuckle fight. "A good fighter, after he's knocked down two or three times, he gets up," Barry once said. "That's what makes a champion. I think we're going to be champions before this is over." For thirty years, he was a strong advocate for improved health care in the Province of New Brunswick.

He gave 60 years of service to the Knights of Columbus, Bishop Lawrence S. McMahon Council 937, having joined in 1947, and held positions of Member, Recorder, Chancellor, Deputy Grand Knight, Grand Knight (1964-66), State Treasurer and State Deputy for the Province of New Brunswick. At the Supreme Office level he was Supreme Director of the Atlantic Provinces from 1971 to 1974 and Vice Supreme Master of the Fourth Degree for the Atlantic Provinces 1979.

Barry also lobbied for compensation for those involved in the hepatitis C tainted blood scandal of the 1980s. He was himself infected by a blood transfusion at that time.

Other organizations and boards Esmonde served on were Protestant Orphanage Committee; Board Member and first President, Friends of Children's Aid Society ; Director Saint John Board of Trustees for District 20; Director, N.B. Social Service Council; Member of the Better Businesses Bureau; Member of Central Business Development Corporation; Member of the Steering Committee of the Catholic Priests Pension Fund; Member of the Board of Governors of St. Thomas University; Founding Member and Chairperson of the Friends of St. Joseph's Hospital; Founder of the Coalition for Nursing Home Rights; Founding Member of the Hepatitis C Society, Saint John Chapter; and lastly a Member of the Friends of Healthcare. He received "The Bishop William Dollard Medal of Merit", diocese of Saint John, and the "Knights of Columbus Pope Paul Medal of Merit".

Following his retirement he was a well written Orator with a weekly column in the Catholic New Freeman under the heading "Thoughts for Today" for a period of time. Periodically he was a commentator on 92.7 University of New Brunswick Saint John Radio. He had written many guest commentaries in the Telegraph-Journal and several articles for the Canadian Messinger. He was the author of "Escape from Romania", which was published in 1993.

He passed away on July 31, 2007 in his 84th year at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

He was posthumously awarded the New Brunswick Merit Award by Saint John, New Brunswick Mayor Ivan Court. It was accepted by his wife, H. Maureen Barry on July 25, 2008.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2007/08/01/nb-barryremembered.html#ixzz16Wdkpblr