Edgar “Yossi” Barkley, 59, of Dripping Springs, Texas died September 6th, 2012 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was a long-time resident of Southern California, maintaining residences in Manhattan Beach, Big Bear Lake and Rancho Mirage before moving back to Texas in 2009.
Ed graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, Tyler, Texas, 1971, and was an alumnus of West Texas A&M University, 1978, and The Anderson School of Business, UCLA, 1994. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternal order. From 1979–1983 he served as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force at the Static War Headquarters in Boerfink, Germany, and as a program officer for testing and evaluating Research and Development weapons systems for the Tactical Air Warfare Center at Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field, FL.
In 1984, he was employed by Hughes Aircraft Company, El Segundo, CA as the business manager of the MILSTAR satellite program for Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers. In 1993, he was promoted to senior manager of strategic planning, Electro-Optical Systems Group. From 1993–1996 his primary responsibilities were to assist Hughes Corporate strategic planning divest Hughes of its defense systems business. In 1996, he joined Hughes subsidiary DIRECTV International becoming director of business development. He was involved with successfully launching DIRECTV’s services in Latin America and Japan, and worked extensively in evaluating the emerging market in China. In 1999, he returned to the U.S. and joined DIRECTV’s domestic business development department. In that new capacity, he continued to oversee DIRECTV’s international business development efforts in Asia while leading the domestic team to successfully launch DIRECTV’s commercial airline service on JetBlue Airlines in 2000. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, which led to his early retirement in 2004.
In 1998, his partner James Rebman and he established an LLC to successfully launch their exclusive “deBerchelai” women’s fragrance line for Nordstrom’s department stores in Southern California.
In 2001, his life would forever change when his elder brother Robert was killed in an automobile accident. Having led a secular life up until this time, he would recount the epiphany he had upon hearing of his brother’s death—he had to ask himself, “Am I Jewish or not? Will I perform my obligation to recite kaddish for my Jewish brother or not?” Ed would tell everyone his answer: “It didn’t take me a nanosecond to decide that I had to do what a Jewish brother is obligated to do for his Jewish brother. I would recite kaddish for my brother, may he rest in peace.” And with that decision, he embarked on his journey of making teshuvah, which meant returning to practicing his Jewish faith and that meant becoming part of the Jewish religious community, which he did to the surprise of many and with the support of rabbis and some of his friends and family.
With his decision to make teshuvah, Yossi became a member of Temple Emanuel, Beverly Hills and an active member of Temple Isaiah, Palm Springs where he served as a Trustee on its Board of Directors. He was a member of the Orthodox Union and was affiliated with the Orthodox community of East Denver and Congregation Rodfei Sholom, San Antonio. He was a member of numerous Jewish philanthropic and political action organizations during his lifetime, including the Jewish National Fund’s World Chairman’s Council.
On September 10, 2011 Yossi performed the 613th commandment of the Torah to write a Sefer Torah of his own, which he dedicated in loving memory to his relatives who perished in the Holocaust at Auschwitz. He donated his Sefer Torah to Congregation Rodfei Sholom, which was received by the congregation in a joyous Siyum HaTorah celebration on September 16, 2011.
He is survived by his partner of over 32 years, James Rebman, a sister, Mary Ann Cassidy and a brother, Bron Barkley, three nieces and four nephews, and five great-nieces and seven great-nephews.
A graveside service will be held Sunday, September 9th, 2012 at half past 3 o’clock in the afternoon, at Austin Memorial Park, 2800 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas. He will be interred with military honors with Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg, Shlita of Congregation Rodfei Sholom, San Antonio, officiating the graveside service.
The family requests that memorials be made to the Jewish National Fund’s Blueprint Negev at http://support.jnf.org/goto/barkleymemorialfund.
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