- Date Of Birth: April 17, 1945
- Date Of Death: August 26, 2021
- State: Utah
Barry Neil Ball: sunrise April 17, 1945, sunset August 26, 2021. Barry was born to Daniel and Oralean (Hall) Ball in Brookhaven, Mississippi. The family lived in Brookhaven and Jackson, Mississippi, New Orleans, Louisiana and finally settling in Clearfield, Utah in 1952. While a teenager Barry meet his future wife Shirley M. Heath, they married June 1, 1963, in Ogden, Utah at New Zion Baptist Church. Two children were born to their union.
Barry attended Clearfield High where he excelled in all sports. During his senior year he was voted Utah’s all-star athlete for 1963. After graduating from Clearfield High, he attended Weber State College on a basketball scholarship After his freshman year he started working as a janitor for Mountain Fuel Gas company in Ogden. The gas company gave him the opportunity to continue his education by paying for his books and tuition. He graduated from Weber State College in 1970 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an Associate degree in Drafting.
In June 1970 he and his family moved to Boulder, Colorado where he began his career with IBM Corporation. As an employee at IBM, he advanced from a Quality Engineer to a Manufacturing Engineer. He managed the plastic department production and the engineering department. In 1986 his job transferred him to an IBM plant in Lexington, Kentucky where he worked in keyboard printer development and ribbon technology. In 1993 Barry transferred back to Boulder to implement the ISO process for the Lexmark plant, he was the plant Quality Manager and ISO Quality Engineer. His career allowed him to travel throughout the United States and abroad. Barry worked 40 years, retiring from Lexmark in 2010.
Barry loved the game of golf, retirement afforded him the time to enjoy the game with his wife and friends. He enjoyed going on road trips with his kids and grandkids, sometimes stopping along the way to play golf. The family always looked forward to vacations in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
Barry was a member of Second Baptist Church, Boulder Colorado, he also attended church service with his daughter Tanya at Scott Methodist Church in Denver, or with his son Ryan at Eastern Hills Christian Church in Centennial. Barry was dedicated to his family, always there to offer a helping hand, to give good advice, or just to listen, he also helped raise his grandson, Collin. When his son Ryan became a single father, his work schedule made it all but impossible for him to tend to his two children’s daily needs, Barry stepped right up driving to Centennial every other Friday, spending the entire week there so that the grand kids were taken care of. He did the cooking, cleaning and got the kids to and from school. He helped them with their homework, and made sure they got to their baseball, basketball or soccer practices. He never missed any of their games. He cherished every chance to teach them the game of golf. Barry had a very special love for his “gran’s” and they for him.
Barry was preceded in death by his parents, Daniel and Oralean Ball and nephew Aaron Brown. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Shirley M. Ball, Longmont, CO; Daughter Tanya (Robert, Jr) Thames, Commerce City, CO; Son Ryan Ball, Centennial, CO; Sisters, Phyllis (Clyde) Burch, Tampa, FL. and Jennifer (Cliff) Biggers, Coshocton, OH. Grandchildren Collin Ball, DeShawn Fletter, Aaron Ball and Olivia Ball and great-grandson Collin Ball Jr. He also leaves behind his mother-in-law Mae Glynn, Ogden, UT; sisters-in-law Patricia (Cozy) Mitcham, Ogden, UT and Gladys (John) Martin, Dallas, TX. Brothers-in-laws Larry (Linda) Heath and Lloyd Heath, Gilbert, AZ, also many nieces, nephews, cousins, other extended family and friends.
