If anyone were making a list of the best and brightest in the Virgin Islands, Wilfred Barry would be on it.
He had it all.
His talent and ability in his chosen field of law enforcement, including his latest role with the U.S. Marshals Service, were legendary. He had the title to prove his accomplishments — acting chief deputy in the Virgin Islands for the agency — but beyond the title, everyone who worked with him knew that this man was a dedicated, creative, extremely capable public servant. He was the cream that rose to the top.
His concern for the community, and especially its young people, was equally strong. He won a national Points of Life Foundation award recently for his involvement in trying to steer young Virgin Islanders away from trouble and toward a productive, crime-free life.
Many right here at home would have given Wilfred Barry their own gold star awards for helping to turn young lives around. He succeeded where others failed because he cared, he was persistent and he could relate to kids one-on-one. He spoke their language. He knew where they were coming from. And he had the personal example of his own brother, Samuel Barry, who was gunned down 19 years ago in a drug dispute; he used the pain of that death to show others the consequences of the choices they were making.
Wilfred Barry died unexpectedly this weekend at age 46, apparently of a heart attack. Way too soon, way too young. Barry was a class act, a fine, decent man, and this community will miss him.