Text: Remembering and Celebrating the Life of David Barr, by Bob Snyder

Bob Snyder

The Celebrant

Friday – November 13, 2020

Forest Lawn – Glendale

10:00 a.m.

Well Good Morning,

I often find that an awkward greeting for such a time as this, yet in reality it is a good morning in that we have come to celebrate a life that was lived with dedication, devotion and love.

It is that love that has brought each of you here this morning to be with one another, to remember the wonderful gifts of love and relationship that David provided each one of you and to acknowledge the hole in our hearts with his passing.

This morning, love stretches out and calls to us.

Love has brought us here to be with one another, to remember and to mourn.

David Lee Barr was a loving husband, brother, as well as a good friend who has passed from this life into eternity and we come because we love him.

Love is a strange thing because we never think about the pain that it has a way of bringing into our life. Love is a good thing and is something that we as human beings are in desperate need of. Yet when death comes and visits us in the life of another whom we love, it hurts to the core.

And the love that we share with that person is the reason we hurt so much.

We have gathered here together today to celebrate the life as well as mourn the loss of Davidfrom our lives.

We have gathered to remember his life of love and devotion as well as the strength and support he shared with each of you.

I am Celebrant Bob Snyder and I am honored to be apart of celebrating the relationship that you each enjoy with David

There is no question that we come today with full hearts and even numb minds.

There are no words to express the pain maybe even the anger as well as the unbelievable sadness that one may feel.

The only way to survive such an onslaught of the incomprehensible is to know that even a bigger halo of love, support, joy, and memories is circling this wall of grief and will sustain us and buffer us from being engulfed

NARRATIVE:

Your presence here this morning demonstrates your love and relationship you each enjoyed with David. As I have had the gift of coming to know David’s story through his beloved wife Vida as well as his brother Steven, the one thread that continued to weave throughout his life was his heart of love and devotion to both his family as well as all who had the gift of David as a friend.

David Lee Barr’s heart of love came upon this earth on May 27,1949 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania to his proud parents Robert and Zella Barr

David was blessed to have a younger brother named Steven who has many fond memories growing up with David. David also had the gift of a half brother Roger as well as a half sister named Roberta

Steven share with me how proud his brother and himself were of the neighborhood they had the privilege of spending their formative years. It was a called Roger’s Park and it was I quote a cool neighborhood that was very progressive and maybe helped to birth in David his concern and interest in social justice and equality for all people.

In fact as a teen David was supporting Dick Greggory an African American who was running for Mayor and that was in a time when Black Americans were not expected to run for an office.

Steven shared that they grew up in a single parent family with their mother providing for all their needs. With a smile, Steven reminisced how they would receive a dollar from their mother on some Saturdays which meant a day of fun and entertainment. They would go to the town theater get purchase a hot dog for .25 along with fries.

Then spend a whole .25 cents to see a double feature with a short complete with enjoying of course pop corn and a soda. Again maybe going to the cinema helped birth in David his life long love for the arts especially cinema and theater. David looked forward to taking in Macbeth and Hamlet at the Art House Theater. For Steven that was just a little too much Shakespeare for one sitting.

Steve remembers how David was in a play when he was in the 8th grade as well as acted in another play as a teenager. With his good looks and love for the arts he just might have been an actor yet that turned out not to be his plan even through he continued to have a love affair with the arts throughout his life as he loved a good opera as well as going to the symphony.

Attending Sullivan High School, David with his athletic ability was very competitive in the sport of tennis. He was also a very valued and competent chess play for the school chess team.

And as everyone who knows David would attest to, David loved to read! Steven recalls how his brother would rather read than do just about anything else. Maybe the reason for this is that David discovered the joy of reading that allows a person to discover so many wonderful truths about the world.

For we can all attest that David was a life long learner. Vida share how her beloved David loved to discover and gain new knowledge as each new idea opened up for David a whole new world of discovery.

After graduating from Sullivan High School, David when into the United States Navy where he served his country on board an aircraft carrier. He loved to see new sights and visit new places so the navy motto of join the navy and see the world appealed to David. He was able to experience places like Italy and Greece as well as other ports of call.

Upon his honorary discharge, David continued his education at Virginia Commonwealth University where he earned a Bachelor’s of arts in business. He attend graduate school to pursue more knowledge in the field of Psychology yet David ultimately loved to learn in his own way without all the complexities that universities can put on discovery. David loved to learn and when there were reading assignments reserved at the library given by a professor he would be the first to go to the library to check them out. He really didn’t need to worry that they would be gone as he would often be the only one who actually read those assignments.

In around 1996, a good friend named Louis invited David to come to California as work with him in the entertainment industry. David relocated to beautiful warm southern California and he enjoyed the new chapter here but the vocation wasn’t something that filled David’s tank.

As fate would have it David would meet a certain beautiful woman named Vida Penezic. They would join their hearts and lives together as one on August 8, 1998 enjoyed the next 22 years together as best friends. With both of them looking for a way to bless others with their education, they both decided to change lives through becoming teachers. David gave himself to being an elementary school teacher with students with special needs. David loving the world of discovery had a passion to share that love so that others could experience the joy of new facts and wonderful information. He was a gifted teacher always seeking to be creative in sharing the information to his students in ways that would keep them interested. He was a devoted teacher to his students who had the gift of David to open up their world to new discoveries. Just think of all the lives that David was a part of making a difference so they might reach their full potential. David was a valued and respected teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District until he retired in June of 2014.

David along with Vida continued to enjoy the game of tennis together as they would play on Los Feliz tennis courts with one another. And of course tennis star Roger Federer was one of Davids sports heroes.

Steve shared with me how his brother loved to go hiking in the beautiful outdoors as he appreciated nature.

And of course, David continued to look forward to every opportunity that he could take in a Museum or Art gallery. He continued to love to take in a good movie as he understood all the subtle nuances that goes into making a movie a work of art.

David continued to enjoy seeing new sights and experiences new places as he would plan and then enjoy going on road trips to places that interested him. Vida shared that one of his favorite destinations was Ojai in Ventura County where wine tasting is excellent along with going to Joshua Tree National Park.

David also loved his trip to visit with his beloved Vida homeland of Yugoslavia.

Yet as Vida illuminated for me David was most content to be sitting at a table with a cup of coffee reading a book to discover new wonders. As David would say Everything is Something and for David everything was an opportunity for discovery. David just couldn’t get enough information on how the world works. In fact Steven smiling shared that one Christmas David receive 7 books as gifts and was over joyed. One of the books was over 700 pages and Steven thought how could anyone be so excited to read that many pages in one book

Steven also share how his brother was a people person in that he would be on public transportation and freely strike up a conversation with a stranger. He was friendly and outgoing never meeting a stranger only a potential friend.

David truly enjoyed all kinds of international cuisine as well as a delightful glass of wine.

And there is no question that David’s heart of love was generous. He loved Christmas for as David would share it was a festival of giving and that was one thing that brought joy into his heart. You see David lived each moment of each day with the anticipation of discovery and loving the joy of life. He was so curious that when he discovered You Tube he could experience operas, ballet, Sumo wrestling and everything else that caught his insatiable curiosity,

It is because of David’s wonder of life, his outgoing personality and giving heart that it is so hard to say so long as his heart of love passed from this life into eternity on November 6, 2020 at the age of 71.

He is deeply loved and will be missed by

His beloved Vida

His brothers Steven and Michael, sisters Debbie, Brenda, and Beverly

As well as a host of other family and friends

[SPEAKERS]

There are so many who would loved to share their hearts in celebration of their relationship with David so Vida has created a video sharing of treasured memories for those who loved him. As we watch this video we hope it connects your heart with David’s heart of love

[Video tributes]

TO THOSE I LOVE

AND THOSE WHO LOVE ME

When I am gone, release me, let me go,

I have so many things to see and do

You mustn’t tie yourself to me with tears,

Be happy that we had so many years.

I gave you my love,

You can only guess how much you gave to me in happiness.

I thank you for the love you each have shown,

But now it’s time I traveled on alone.

So grieve a while for me, if you must,