Richard ‘Dick’ Erwin Barrett

Pittstown – passed away peacefully on Friday July 22, 2016 at 90 years of age, with his wife Lena M. (Cary) Barrett by his side. Richard and Lena were married nearly 70 years ago on February 2, 1947. Richard was the first­born child to Ervin ‘Irving’ Lucious Barrett and Mary Ann Clements. He was born on May 4, 1926 in the Village of Potsdam, NY. During Richard’s earlier years, he attended a two room school house in Hopkinton, NY. Immediately after leaving high school, he was employed at Aloca in Massena, NY and later worked in the manufacturing industry and on dairy farms. Richard attended the School of the Blind in Buffalo, NY and worked for the Association of the Blind in Albany, NY for 17 years. In more recent years, he spent the majority of his time in Grafton, NY where he jointly owned and managed Lena’s Kitchen with his wife for 27 years. He cherished his time chatting with customers and cooking. His homemade weekly Mac n’ Cheese dish was always in high demand on Friday nights. Richard was a hard worker, although handicapped beginning at a young age; he and his family were determined not to let it hinder his life. Richard shared his excitement as a Met’s baseball fan. He impressively kept track of a wide variety of local and national professional sports statistics. He found joy in camping with family, bowling as a member of the Association of the Blind’s Bowling League, and looked forward to annual visits at the Saratoga Race Track. Richard took pride in his family. He is survived by his beloved wife Lena, five children, Steven D. Barrett of Parishville, NY, Marshall L. (Constance) Barrett of Pittstown, NY, Sharon S. (Joseph) Archambault of Easton, NY, Mitzi L. (Roman) Bezduch of Cohoes, NY, and Richard ‘Ricky’ E (Judith) Barrett, Jr. of Cohoes, NY, one brother Reginald M. (Judy) Barrett of Parishville, NY, eleven grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter. Richard was predeceased by his daughter Sheila A. Barrett, brother Donald W. Barrett, and sister Beverly A. (Barrett) Richardson. Richard’s surname origin comes from Great Britain. His paternal grandfather, William Parrott, born in Leighton Buzzard, England was the first to settle in North America to seek more opportunity. In 1891, William first lived in Lake Ontario, Canada, at this time the family surname was converted from Parrott to Barrett. During William’s time in Lake Ontario, he worked at a logging camp. Soon after, William moved to the United States, settling in Fort Jackson, NY of the Adirondacks. A funeral service was held at 7 pm on Wednesday, July 27 at the Marra Funeral Home in Cohoes, NY. Family and friends gathered for the wake prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Grafton Rescue Squad, PO Box 2, Grafton, NY 12082 or Grafton Fire Department, PO Box 134, Grafton, NY 12082.