Obituaries

Patrick Thomas Barry, 53 and a lifelong resident of Oswego, passed away suddenly on May 11, 2023 due to heart failure.

Pat, along with his brothers, spent his youth marauding the West Side of Oswego on a rickety bike lovingly bought by his mother at a local white elephant sale. From the Oswego River, to Flat Rock, to Breitbeck, to the college campus, no adventure was off limits so long as the Barry boys were home before their mom was ready to serve supper. West Park was a favorite spot, where Pat could be found with his brothers, friends and neighborhood kids playing pick up baseball, flailing through the public sprinkler, erecting a structurally unsound bike ramp or engaging in the occasional ill-conceived rock or chestnut war. Pat’s parents, Joe and Pat, made sure this mischief was offset by all manner of volunteerism usually involving their beloved home parish, St. Mary’s of the Assumption, just a few blocks from their long-time home on West Seventh Street.

In his teens, Pat found his calling in the culinary arts. Inspired by his mother’s own culinary wizardry and bolstered by his time as a foreign exchange student in France, Pat began cooking in and around Oswego in his mid-teens. It was also around this time that he discovered his other true love; music. Starting in his teens and continuing through his life, Pat voraciously acquired and consumed new music at a seemingly impossible rate. Long before iTunes, he meticulously cataloged his extensive music collection, often journaling his favorite lyrics for later inspiration. He would curate specific and bespoke song mixes for those around him, often introducing others to new artists. As one of the few reserved and soft-spoken in the Barry family, it was his way of telling those he cared about that he understood them more than he let on and loved them very much.

After graduating from Bishop Cunningham High School, Pat continued his culinary journey working in numerous reputable restaurants in and around Oswego for over thirty-five years, most recently at Lombardo’s Bridie Manor. It may be true, or it may be blarney, but his family estimates that more Oswegonians may have eaten a meal prepared by Patrick Barry than anyone else in the history of Oswego, even, dare one suggest, the inimitable Mrs. Barry.

Never one for the spotlight, Pat would be embarrassed to be called a stalwart of the Oswego restaurant and culinary scene. But that is what he was, and his presence in the kitchens and pubs around Oswego will be missed and his absence will be felt.

Pat is predeceased by his parents, Joe and Pat, and his sister, Kathleen.

He is survived by his siblings, Daniel, Margaret, Jerry, Theresa, Kevin, Billy and Joby and their respective partners, nieces Gabrielle and Madeline, nephews Conor and Riley, great-nephew Benjamin and an extended family too large to mention.

Services will be arranged and announced at a future date. Pat’s family extends its immense gratitude to the people of Oswego, New York who, having lost a lifelong son, have shown great sympathy, compassion and love during this difficult time.

Arrangements are in the care of the Dain-Cullinan Funeral Home, Oswego