Barry Steele Obituary

Barry, miss you every day

Happy Birthday to my cousin/brother.

Happy birthday to the best brother that has ever been born!
There have been many days that I've longed to talk
to you! Then I remember that you are always in my
heart! Rest in peace, big brother! I love you!

hey barry it's been a long time! how i miss you! you were the best uncle anyone could ever have. I am so thankful for you and all the things you showed and taught me. Not a day goes by that i don't think about you! forever in my thoughts. love ya kesha

Happy new year, baby! I can,t believe it,s March already. Imiss you so much, but I know that God makes no mistakes, and he has the master plan.Hugs and kisses, be talking to you soon. Love always your sister Jan.

Happy Birthday Barry, today is the gig 52! I miss you so much. not a day goes by without me thinking about you. I,ll always love you.

Hey Barry, I miss you so much! You are forever on my mind and in my heart. Love Forever, Rest in Peace.Love, your big sister Jan

Hey Barry, Iwas looking at some pictures of us together, and it made me smile. I thank God for your special life, and all our precious memories.Take you rest, dear brother, for a job well done! I,ll love you forever!

HEY BARRY,YOU,RE ALWAYS IN MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. I MISS YOU SO MUCH, LOVE YOU.

I AM JUST SO HAPPY AND OVERWHELMED,WITH THE MEMORIES AND THE GOOD TIMES AT TROY ST. I,M SO GRATEFUL FOR THE LOVING FAMILY THAT I AM BLESSED TO BE A PART OF.I,LL BE TALKING TO YOU AGAIN SOON BARRY, LOVE YOU.

Jan, Reggie, Tina, Terry, Bonnie & Malcolm, and everybody, please find
attached a copy of my poem about
Barry... titled Memories of Barry Steele.

I've got to tell this story...
A tale I must reveal.
It's all about a kid I knew.
His name was Barry Steele.

His building was on Troy Street--
Eleven Seventeen.
This structure was the tallest one
That I had ever seen.

The Steeles lived on the 1st floor.
Grandmama - up on Three.
The second floor was occupied
By R.B.'s family.

Now, Barry knew his neighborhood -
The place where he was born.
He'd knock upon Grandmama's door
Early in the morn.

He greeted her, "Aunt Mary" -
Granddaddy, "Uncle M".
I wondered why he called them that?
(Duh!) That's who they were to him.

Our visits to the West Side
Were always filled with fun.
We'd play, & play, & play some more.
We'd rip, and then we'd run.

My Memories of Barry Steele
Forever will endure.
The kinship that we shared was real.
Of that, you can be sure.

Much love to my family,

Your cousin,

Reece

Happy New Year to all the family & friends of my cousin,Barry Steele.
Of the many things that I will remember about Barry, his hearty laughter will always ring clear, especially when I think about how impressed he was by the comedian who opened at the Nancy Wilson concert on 10/22/95, after my parents' anniversary celebration. Barry was so tickled that his laughter set off the whole concert audience. It was a Kodak/Memorex moment for sure. God bless each and every one of you in this new year, and may your memories of Barry always keep him close to your hearts.

HAPPY NEW YEAR,WELL WE MADE IT THRU LAST YEAR, NOW LET,S DO IT THIS YEAR. I MISS YOU SO MUCH, BUT I,M LEARNING TO BE STRONG LIKE YOU. MAY YOU SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE. LOVE YOU ALWAYS P.S. JAYLA SAYS, GOODNITE UNCLE BARRY, I LOVE YOU.

Hey Barry,I miss you so much. I left you a birthday greeting, but it seems to be incyber-space.I thank God for your life, and our precious memories.Take your rest my sweet baby brother.

Barry, Happy Birthday!
I love you, I miss you so much! your words of encouragement will always be remembered. You will forever live in my heart!
Kesha

To Bonnie and Malcolm :Take comfort in knowing that now you have a special guardian angel to watch over you. Barry you are missed in so many ways.

To the Steele Family,
I posted an entry that I believe Barry would want us to receive and be mindful of. We all miss him so much but above all, we must remember he loved us and that his family was important to him and we must care for each other unconditionally! This was the practice that Barry lived!
Bonnie and Malcolm, hang in there! I know it get hard but remember that love will see you through! I love you guys and I will always be a phone call away!

Barry, I miss talking to you every week so much. I wish I had known that our time together would be so short. But I know that you know I love you with all my heart and always have. Thank you for making my teenage years great and my adult years even better! Thank you for sharing in all of my "good" days, such as the birth of my children, the many graduations, my marriage, the purchase of my home,etc. For these all things and more! You are the best brother anyone could have ever asked for. I will keep the light burning!
I Love you now and forever!

To my dearest family, some things I'd like to say...
but first of all, to let you know, that I arrived okay.
I'm writing this from heaven. Here I dwell with God above.
Here, there's no more tears of sadness; here is just eternal love.

Please do not be unhappy just because I'm out of sight.
Remember that I'm with you every morning, noon and night.
That day I had to leave you when my life on earth was through,
God picked me up and hugged me and He said, "I welcome you."

It's good to have you back again; you were missed while you were gone.
As for your dearest family, they'll be here later on.
I need you here badly; you're part of my plan.
There's so much that we have to do, to help our mortal man."

God gave me a list of things, that he wished for me to do.
And foremost on the list, was to watch and care for you.
And when you lie in bed at night, the day's chores put to flight.
God and I are closest to you....in the middle of the night.

When you think of my life on earth, and all those loving years
because you are only human, they are bound to bring you tears.
But do not be afraid to cry; it does relieve the pain.
Remember there would be no flowers, unless there was some rain.

I wish that I could tell you all that God has planned.
But if I were to tell you, you wouldn't understand.
But one thing is for certain, though my life on earth is o'er.
I'm closer to you now, than I ever was before.

There are many rocky roads ahead of you and many hills to climb;
but together we can do it by taking one day at a time.
It was always my philosophy and I'd like it for you too...
that as you give unto the world, the world will give to you.

If you can help somebody who's in sorrow and pain,
then you can say to God at night......"My day was not in vain."
And now I am contented....that my life has been worthwhile,
knowing as I passed along the way, I made somebody smile.

So if you meet somebody who is sad and feeling low,
just lend a hand to pick him up, as on your way you go.
When you're walking down the street, and you've got me on your mind;
I'm walking in your footsteps only half a step behind.

And when it's time for you to go.... from that body to be free,
remember you're not going.....you're coming here to me.

Ruth Ann Mahaffey (author)
©Copyright 1998-2006

Barry, Words cannot express how much I LOVE and MISS you.You were the BEST; brother, friend,and confidante ever. I think about you every day.I,m so grateful that GOD gave me and the world the precious time that we shared.The world and myself is a better place because you were in it.Every nite Jayla ends her prayers with;God,I,m sending a special prayer for uncle Barry.So, I send a special prayer for my special brother I LOVE YOU.Bonnie, Malcom,and Sydney,I,m just a telephone call away.Love You Always.

Barry, I miss you so, but what a great time we had as a family and chilhood friends and memories we have of you may God Bless your family.

Bonnie and Malcolm I keep you both in my prayers. I miss Barry so much he was my hero life is so different without him. I am so happy to have had him as long as I did he was the best uncle, dad at times and friend, and he is truly missed. love you guys!
Kesha, Jermaine, Jayla

Barry, I think about you daily. I am so glad that we shared a lot of life and laughter together. You made life more worthwhile. I miss you and am heartbroken that you left too soon. Hope to see you on the other side. Until we see each other again, stay well- rest in peace .

Malcolm and I were uplifted by the love and support of everyone. I know that Barry is smiling (and laughing) at all the great memories(and not so great things) that we all continue to share. Rest in peace, my dear husband. May your soul be bound in the book of life.
Bonnie

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

Bonnie, I want to express my sorrow for you and your family for the loss of Barry. You and your family will be in our prayers.

Malcolm and Bonnie, my heart is breaking for you. I hope you find some peace soon. Bonnie, now you have another spirit bird to watch over you. Make sure you let Malcolm know about him. I love you.
Kim

I was so sorry to hear of your loss. The thoughts of many are with you at this time of sorrow.

I was so sorry to hear of your loss. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help at this time.

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

I would like to express my deepest sympathy to Barry's family. He was without question one of the best people I have ever known. Barry was my mentor from day one in the Illinois Dept. of Corrections and words cannot express the level of my sorrow at his passing. God Bless.