Barrie’s Story As Read By The Celebrant Today we gather to honour and celebrate the life of Barrie William Vessey. A true English Gentleman in every way. Within the tapestry of his existence lies a story of love, laughter, and unwavering dedication – a story that continues to resonate in our hearts. Barrie was born on the 14th November 1938 to his parents Violet and Bill. As war broke out, as was the case for most families, his dad Bill went off to defend our country. Violet brough Barrie up with the help of the family. Spending many nights in the air raid shelter at the bottom of the garden as Sheffield’s industrial sites were bombed continuously. During the times of quiet, Barrie spent every day playing with his cousin Maureen. Making the most of their time together. Fortunately, Bill was one of the lucky few that returned from the war. With family life getting back to normal Barrie’s younger brother Keith was born and the family was complete. School wasn’t Barrie’s strong point. He was much more of a doer, and his dad insisted that he got a trade behind him. He signed up for an apprenticeship as an electrician with his lifelong friends Frank and Cliff. He did this between the ages of 15-20 before going off to do his national service. Barrie was looking forward to this as he had heard wonderful stories of friends being sent off to places like Singapore and the Middle East. Unfortunately for Barrie he was signed up to the Army Signals and was sent to Tenby, Wales. He did his best to enjoy it and made another lifelong friend in Hugh from Liverpool. He would write letters to Frank about his experiences. However, he would write on toilet paper as he didn’t want to waste money on buying paper. After completing his national service, he returned to Sheffield to continue life as an electrician. As life went on Barrie married his first wife and they had a son together called Shaun. However, this marriage was not meant to be, and they went their separate ways. It wasn’t until 1989 that Barrie found his true love, Diane. They met at a... let’s say function, in the executive suite at Bramall Lane. It was love at first sight for them both. They hit it off immediately and never looked back. Diane had two sons, Andrew and Philip, from her previous marriage, but together they were one whole family. Although it did take a while for Barrie to make an honest woman of Diane. When he proposed to her it wasn’t because he couldn’t spend another day without her, or a sweeping romantic gesture. It was because it made sense from a tax point of view! Diane thankfully understood and they married in 1998. Settling at Woodland Drive where they still are to this day. Family meant everything to Barrie and Diane. Over the years they have welcomed into the fold Clare, Sarah and Lisa, the loving wives of their sons. As well as 4 wonderful grandchildren, Lauren, Maisie, Jacob and Aphelia. Barrie loved being a grandad. Playing games with them and teaching them all sorts. Especially stories about history to Jacob, who also shared the same passion for the subject. Family get togethers were always fun and Barrie loved to be part of them. There would be a different theme every time. Cowboys, 40’s, Caribbean, and many more. They started doing murder mysteries, making sure to dress up to look the part. Especially for Andrew’s 50th when the whole family got involved. As well as being a beautiful couple, Barrie and Diane were also business partners, developing houses together since 1990. Starting by converting Barrie’s old house into bedsits and flats, they then moved onto student accommodation throughout Sharrow and City Road. Creating high end properties and maintaining them with the help of their 3 sons. Barrie was always out and about fixing the properties up, while Diane would deal with the administration and cleaning side of the business. They both had a deep passion for the work they did. As well as properties Barrie continued to work as a contract electrician. Working on big projects such as power stations and the overhauling of the underground network in London. For 15 years he would leave first thing on Monday morning and not return until Friday night. Ringing Diane every night and commenting on how the... ladies of the night around Kings Cross were looking. He could not wait to finish doing his job though, and when he retired on July 4th when he was 60 years old, he was singing all the way home. Although he had retired from the day job, he continued with his love for the business he shared with Diane. Maintaining the properties right up until the age of 83 when they sold their last property. Life for Barrie wasn’t just work. He had an extremely active social life. He enjoyed going fishing. He would go with Shaun on father/son trips locally and in Ireland. He would also go with Alan every Wednesday to various private lakes. He found solace in his garden. It was immaculate and full of flowers of all kinds, lily's, fuchsias, and many others with a distinct Italian style to them. Recently they were looking to redevelop the garden to make life easier for him to enjoy. Barrie and Diane have been members of Norton House Country Club for over 30 years. Going every weekend, socialising with the many friends they made there, as well as dancing, and of course fishing. He also enjoyed the times that Stephen and Margaret would come round for a chat and a cuppa. Especially in more recent times when Stephen would visit quite often to listen to Barrie’s stories, of which he had more than a few. The hobby that surprised most people though was his love of computing, specifically online banking and financing. The family had bought Barrie a laptop for his 70th birthday. They thought it was a wasted gift, however, he completed a senior citizens introduction to the internet course and that was it. He was always looking and comparing deals. He had always been financially astute, or as some would put it, tight as a duck's arse. He always made sure he got the very best for any outlay. So, when he was unleashed on to world of online finance he was hooked. His grandkids nicknamed his office the ‘counting room’ as that is generally what he was up to. Pointing out what he thought were great deals to the rest of the family, sometimes they were, sometimes he would be shunned. He would have none of it would also come back with a ‘But why?’. It didn’t deter him, and it wasn’t until recently when Philip was given the enviable task of going through the paperwork that he uncovered what Barrie had been up to. Currently there are 18 separate accounts and counting. Each with an encrypted password so sophisticated that they could be mistaken for nuclear missile codes! Good luck with that Phil. As well as embracing the internet he had also gone down the rabbit holes of Spotify and Netflix. Finding all the old classic songs and telling anyone who was nearby that he watched them live the in 19 hundred and odd. As for Netflix. During lockdown he completed it. Making Diane watch anything and everything that he could find. Mainly his beloved war documentaries and anything to do with shaping Britain, from industrialisation to modern day. But he wasn’t completely hooked on all of today’s new technology. Phil would suggest audiobooks to listen to, and they even got him a Kindle. Barrie was having none of that though. He much preferred the feel of an old-fashioned book. The library he has created at home is proof alone of how much he loved to read. Carrying on with his fascination of conflict and innovation through the years. As financially astute as Barrie was, he did have a taste for the finer things in life. He would only buy clothes from Jermyn Street in London. Although that didn’t make him immune to the odd bad shirt from time to time. His clothes were never over the top or flash though. Rather understated and classy, just like him. They would dine at the finest restaurants and go to shows in the West End and beyond. He worked dammed hard, so he made sure that he, and the family, got to enjoy the rewards of that hard work. Without doubt the biggest reward they gave to themselves were their holidays. They loved nothing more than travelling the world. The only continent they didn’t go to was Antartica. That’s probably because Cunard didn’t do a cruise there. It started with coach tours. Hop, skipping and jumping across continents. Taking in all the wonders of the world. From Italy and France, to the Americas, to Asia and Africa. They saw it all. They would go with the family to villas in Cyprus, and visit friends at their caravan park in St Tropez. Their friends Ann and Cliff, Marion and Frank, and Chris and Les would also join them on their adventures. Wherever they went Barrie would throw himself in to the culture. Eating and drinking all the local delicacies. He loved his food and trying new cuisines. He also loved his drink and was rarely seen without a glass in his hand. He enjoyed a Guinness, and was partial to a fine red wine, as well as a Johnnie Walker Black Label. Only the best for Barrie. Once they conquered the land, Barrie and Diane decided it was time to conquer and seven seas and started going on cruises in 2004. It would only ever be Cunard cruises as they were more formal and allowed Barrie and Diane to indulge in their love of the finer things in life, as well as their shared passion for ballroom dancing. Diane decided she wanted to try it and thought Barrie wouldn’t be that bothered. However, it seemed to be his calling in life. He was an extremely talented dancer and had great rhythm. They would dance ballroom, modern ballroom, Latin American, sequence dancing. Every single way was danced with great panache. They danced at the Tower Ballroom, as well as many dinner dances in the luxurious surroundings of the Dorchester, the Ritz, the Waldorf and the Savoy. They were asked on many occasions to attend competitions, but they didn’t. It wasn’t about that to them. It was about being in the moment with one another. One particular dinner they went to at the Savoy stands out from the rest. It was late in the evening and most of the other guests had left, even the band had left. However, the pianist was still sat at his white grand piano. He came across to Barrie and Diane, who were still seated at their table, enjoying the remainder of the evening. The pianist struck up conversation with them and told them that he had been watching them dance all night and told them how wonderful they had been dancing. He asked them if they would dance to the last song he was going to play that night. They agreed. And this why we are now going to have a moment of reflection in honour of Barrie’s extraordinary life to Frank Sinatra singing Had To Be You.

I'm so sorry that I can't be there to say goodbye to Barrie. Myself, Jacob and Ophelia will be thinking of you all.

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