Funeral Details

Barry B. Burr, 70, died with wife and daughter by his side in Chicago, IL on Sunday, January 8, 2023. He was the second son born on March 28, 1952 to John and Clara Burr and grew up in Whiting, Indiana.

Barry worked at Pensions & Investments, Crain Communications in Chicago for more than 30 years and served as Editorial Page Editor. Barry, who retired in 2016, received, among other awards, the Northwestern University Medill School/Strong Funds award for editorial columns, the Peter Lisagor award for editorials and the National Herbert Bayard Swope award for news writing.

Throughout his journalism career he interviewed many notable figures such as Nobel Prize in Economics Winners Milton Friedman, Eugene Fama, Franco Modigliani, and Merton Miller; politicians such as Ronald Reagan; General Paul Tibbets; and actor Jimmy Stewart.

Barry earned his MBA at University of Notre Dame Du Lac, concentrating in finance and accounting. Prior to that, he attended Indiana University where he earned an A.B. in history and made the Dean’s List all through college.

Barry was always curious and industrious. He started his first job at 9 years old as a paperboy for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times. Six days a week he’d deliver newspapers door-to-door on bicycle, except in the winter when he used a sled. By eighth grade he had moved into the restaurant industry working at Art’s Drive-In flipping burgers and learning their trade secrets. In college he worked summers at Wisconsin Steel Co as a laborer, then environmental engineer.

After school, his career brought him full circle back to newspapers, though this time not as a paperboy, but as a journalist. His adventurous spirit took him on a multi-month solo backpacking trip through Europe in 1974, with one of the highlights being visiting long-lost relatives in Croatia at their vineyard. Work afforded him with even more opportunities to travel and live around the world. He wrote for many publications, including: The Royal Gazette in Bermuda, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, The Daily Journal in Caracas, Venezuela, and The Morgantown Daily in West Virginia where he covered the state capital.

Barry was a true beach boy (and also loved The Beach Boys band). His fondest memories always revolved around the beach. Growing up, he loved to explore the shores of Wolf Lake with his canine companion, Buddy. He would often speak of afternoon trips to the beach with his mom and brother Ron, and sometimes his Uncle John, and cousins Allen, Pete, and Ami. Barry often enjoyed playing pick-up games of baseball and attending family summer picnics at Whiting Park, where Uncle Rutz would tell stories of the good old days and Uncle Jack would set off firecrackers to the thrill of the kids. Barry eventually settled in Chicago, near his beloved Lake Michigan.

Over the last twenty-four years, Barry endured many health issues as a result of his battle with cancer. He was an eternal optimist and always looking to make the “big comeback.” Despite his challenges, he always thought of how he could use his hardships to help others. He was brave. He signed up for every clinical trial that he could qualify for in the hopes that it would not only help him, but that his contributions to science could help so many others. He was incredibly fond of his doctors and the entire oncology team at Northwestern hospital – from registration to port draw staff to the infusion team and Dr. Jochen Lorch, Dr. Jennifer Choi, Rebecca Meyer and Jenise Diemer, Kerry Luby and her team.

Barry loved his family dearly. He loved to stay in touch with his cousins (his biggest column each year was the Burr “Christmas Chronicles”), and was the glue that brought people together. He will truly be missed. He is preceded in death by brother-in-law Geoffrey Woo. He is survived by his wife, Vivian Burr née Woo; daughter, Lesley Burr; son-in-law Peter Scher; brother Ronald Burr, sister-in-law MyHanh Burr, sisters-in-law Ellen, Julie, Heddy, and brother-in-law Joseph Eddie Woo. He was “Uncle Barry” to John (Mikhalina), Daphné, Evelyne (William), and Ronny, who surely all have a favorite joke by him. The family is forever grateful to Shirley Refol for her invaluable support and caring for Barry in his last months.

Visitation will be held Sunday, January 15, 2023, from 12-7pm at the Midtown Funeral Home and Cremation Options, 3918 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago. Family and Friends are invited to gather for mass on Monday, January 16, 2023 at 10am at St. Viator Catholic Church, 4170 W. Addison St, Chicago. Interment will be Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at Mount Mercy Cemetery, 4401 W. Ridge Rd. Gary, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, American Red Cross, or St. Viator Parish. For donations to Northwestern, please choose to direct your gift towards an area of service, select oncology, and choose to make the gift in memory of Barry B. Burr.

Arrangements by Midtown Funeral Home and Cremations Options, 773.654.3574, www.midtownfunerals.com