Barrington "Barry" Francis Beardsmore

Barry was born in Leigh, England in 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II. As a child, he and his brothers attended a boarding school run by the Irish Christian Brothers, which was a very difficult chapter of his life. One respite came in the form of a yearly exchange with a family in Normandy, France, and this exposure to the French language and culture contributed greatly to his future endeavors.

He was the first of his family to attend university, and after graduating from The University of Liverpool, he emigrated to Canada and earned a Master’s degree in French from McMaster University, followed by a PhD in French from the University of British Columbia (which we believe was the first PhD in French ever to have been awarded by UBC). Around the time he was completing his university education, Barry returned to England and married Gillian Mary Platt on June 26, 1965, and they moved to Victoria where Barry lived for the remainder of his life.

Barry was a French professor at the University of Victoria for over 30 years, and he spent most of the 1990s as the Chair of UVic’s Department of French. In 1999 he was made a chevalier (knight) of the Ordre des Palmes académiques, a national order of France for distinguished academics that was originally founded by the Emperor Napoléon.

Barry is survived by Mary, his loving wife of more than 56 years, his three children Catherine (Russ), Martin (Boe) and Chris (Loan), and his five grandchildren Nick, Olivia, Toby, Caleb and Tegan. We will miss him dearly.

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who provided care to Barry. Due to COVID-19, there will be no service. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Our Place Society in Victoria, the BC Cancer Agency or your favourite charity.