Barry J. Stephens of Wurtsboro, a retired mental hygiene therapy aide, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at the Garnett Health Medical Center in Middletown after a long illness. He was 74.

He was born November, 1947 in Middletown, the youngest of 14 children of the late Ernest and Florence Stephens. Barry was a veteran of the United States Army, serving in Vietnam. 

Due to the enormity of your sacrifice in military service, your unwavering work ethic at home and at work, and the love of family, we went from humble beginnings to comfortable lives, living in a home that you improved and enlarged as our family grew. Your work on our home is a source of enormous pride for the whole family. You made sure all your children had a safe, comfortable space to live and grow. Barry had a great love of science, medicine, space and history. Before his cancer he was a remarkable writer.

You embodied values which today appear so out of fashion that they seem almost quaint – your decency, your honesty, your indestructible moral compass; your complete disinterest in ego and materialism. Your sense of humor enabled us to get through a 10-year cancer battle, at times having the oncologist walk out of the exam rooms smiling and laughing with us. 

We can only hope the breaking of our hearts now is testament enough to our gratitude and love we feel for you. You have earned your eternal rest.

There are no words to express our gratitude to all the people who made life possible; Dr. R. Gulati, Dr. W. Gotsis, Dr. J. Ferguson, Dr. P. Coron, MSKCC; Dr. L. Palomba, MSKCC; Dr. I Preeshagul, MSKCC; Dr. C. Hajj, MSKCC; Dr. R. Tadros, Mt. Sinai; and the nurses and staff of 4 South of Garnett Medical Center, Middletown, NY, where Barry passed away, who are a group of professional, compassionate, and emotionally generous people.

He survived by his loving wife: Regina Stephens, at home; four sons: Brian and Shawn Stephens of Middletown, and Joshua and Jeremy Stephens of Wurtsboro; a daughter: Colleen Stephens of Middletown; a brother: John Stephens; a sister: Sandra Peavey of Wurtsboro; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Family and friends were invited to gather on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Van Inwegen-Kenny Funeral Home, 401 Broadway in Monticello with a funeral service starting at noon at the funeral home. Burial with military honors followed at the Sullivan County Veterans Cemetery in Liberty.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Pediatric Dept. at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center https://www.mskcc.org/pediatrics; or please donate blood anywhere you can in Barry’s memory.

Arrangements are under the direction of the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home of Monticello.                  

For additional information or to send an online condolence, please visit www.kennyfuneralhome.com.