Ira Philip Barsky

Ira Philip Barsky passed away peacefully at home on February 6, 2026. He never imagined he would live as long as he did, for he lived his life fully and passionately, as though the end was always just around the corner.

Born in New York City in 1935 in the midst of the Great Depression, he became an author, a lawyer, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist.

Ira spent three years in the military where he scored in the top 1% of an aptitude test which determined the rest of his military career. He was sent across country to the Army Language School in Monterey, California, and within six months he completed a Russian Immersion program and was sent to Cold War Berlin.

After his time in the Army, Ira went to NYU and received a degree in business and then went to George Washington Law School where he excelled in tax law. Upon graduating Ira co-authored several articles on taxation. Soon after, he joined Atlantic Research, the company that made the retro rockets for the Gemini and Mercury programs and also began to develop a speciality in mergers and acquisitions. He climbed the corporate ladder at several companies, including Alco Standard and Gulf & Western, and orchestrated numerous mergers and acquisitions around the world, from Thailand to Bolivia.

In the early 1980s an opportunity presented itself — Gulf & Western wanted to divest itself of its heavy industries to focus primarily on entertainment. Ira and his partners founded Horsehead Industries which owned and operated several industrial businesses. For many years, Ira worked incredibly hard and eventually sold his business interests and retired to his dream house by the sea in Sarasota, Florida.

Now, finally, he could focus on his real passion — helping to end the suffering of animals. Ira loved all animals, and focused his considerable energy on founding ARC, the Animal Rescue Coalition, with Ed Sarbey, to rebuild and expand Sarasota’s Humane Society. More significantly, ARC raised funds to create and operate a mobile spay and neuter van, which, over the last 25 years, has worked to keep the stray animal population in Sarasota to a minimum. Throughout his adulthood Ira always had a cat or two. Over the years, Ira supported many other charities as well.

Ira is survived by Elfriede “Lee,” his wife of 61 years; his daughters, Robin Gilson and Andrea Barsky; and his grandsons, Sam and Noah Gilson. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Animal Rescue Coalition at 6320 Tower Lane, Sarasota, FL 34240 or arcsrq.org.

Services will be private.