Barry Leon Napshin

So you have heard all of this before. It is an obituary. So he was born. He lived a long, cool life. And yes, he died. And that is where your reading both starts and stops. It is like reading the first few pages of a novel friends told you about with the best adjectives possible: exciting!! unbelievable twists and turns!! such a cast of characters!! But in an obituary? Naw…not so much.

But take a minute to meet Barry Leon Napshin, or was it Leon Barry Napshin? We may never know (a story for another time… or probably here, later). First, the main stuff: he was born in Chicago, IL on February 28, 1930, on his mom’s birthday! He lived in the Chicago area for quite some time. He was an inquisitive child who always loved learning. Barry was the middle child. His sister older sister Leah and his younger brother Mel both predeceased him.

Barry, his dad and his younger brother worked at several jobs: they worked in the family fine jewelry store owned by his sister Leah and her husband Stan. They owned a hot dog stand. They had a small family grocery store much like the ‘bodegas’ famous in New York. They did all of this… and yet none of it was a good fit for Barry. His love of learning would mark the course for the rest of his professional life, and a large part of his pride.

Barry worked at The Deborah Boys Club, teaching mostly shop class, and it was there that he met the love of his life: Sharon Smith. She was everything he could dream of: beautiful. smart and, well…Jewish! After some fun and unexpected dates, including one where Barry, an avid antique car fan, drove up in a Ford Model T and dressed complete in period costume, their romance bloomed. He was connected to one of the best jewelry stores in town, so he finally presented her with a small black velvet bag, full of diamonds! All she had to do was to choose the right diamond as she had already chosen the right guy! An April 19 wedding was planned for 1959. Both families were kvelling! Verklempt!

Such a lovely union, such a sweet little second floor apartment, with his parents owning and living in the first floor apartment, and soon pets were introduced. First big, white samoyeds and spitz’s. But hey… many of us know what breed stole their hearts: chihuahuas soon became the only dogs for them. The family was not yet complete. Audrey Sue Napshin was born on February 17, 1963 and Stuart Alan Napshin was born on June 8, 1965. Bundling up two little bundles of joy for the Chicago winters took their toll, especially when bathroom breaks were needed!

In 1968, he and his lovely wife Sharon, packed up their two young kiddos, Audrey and Stuart, respectively 4 and 2 at the time, and did the unthinkable… they moved away! There was a snowstorm the year prior that brought in torrents of cold winds, drifts of snow topping the stop signs in town (yeah… you might relate, and that might be why YOU are in Florida, too) so off they went after driving up and down Florida finding the real necessities of life: a job for Barry as an elementary school principal, a shul and a good school system for the kiddos. That place was Sarasota.

The next chapter is familiar to many: Barry became principal of Alta Vista Elementary. Sharon soon followed with her own career advancement, joining the faculty of Tuttle Elementary as a teacher and later their Media Specialist. Stuart and Audrey attended Temple Beth Sholom, the family’s shul, for kindergarten and then headed to school with mom. After a bit, the kiddos were moved to Alta Vista where dad was principal. Easier than being the preacher or rabbi’s kids? The jury is out on that one… but suffice it to say that there were always eyes on Audrey and Stuart.

Barry was a most caring and progressive boss. He headed to New Town to hire Black teachers which was almost unheard of in 1968. And then…he placed his own children in their classrooms, setting precedent for his expectations of integration in a Sarasota that was still largely segregated, regardless of the new laws to the contrary. His famous quote was, ‘hire the best, give them what they need and get out of the way’. He was right about that. And so Alta Vista flourished along with Barry and Sharon, and their small family. A house was purchased right down the block from Jack and Jean Berg. Jack was the Alta Vista school counselor/functioning asst. principal. The families became almost inseparable: working together, attending school together, playing together, celebrating special occasions together and finally camping all summer together. It was truly a divine time!

Childhoods do end. The kids grew up and each got married: Audrey married Tom Quale in 1991 and Stuart married Evelyn Orenbuch in 1998. Audrey became a teacher in both Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Tom is a community banker. Stuart is a college professor and Evelyn a successful rehabilitation veterinarian. Stuart and Evelyn moved first to Philadelphia to spend time with her parents and to work on their respective careers. Finally, after several years there, the decision was made to move to the Atlanta area where they have been happily living in the suburb of Kennesaw, near where Stuart teaches at Kennsaw State University.

Audrey and Tom had 2 children: Savanna who married Jacob Simon. They are the proud parents of Barry and Sharon’s great grand baby Willow. Ben Quale is a senior at The University of Florida, majoring in Biology. As you can see, education was always of the utmost important to this family, even as it grew!

When one childhood ends, sometimes others begin! Upon the birth of grandbabies and then oh-my-gosh GREAT grandbabies, a new passion was brought to Sharon and Barry’s lives!! There were trikes in the house, catching tadpoles, a yard-sized playhouse in the sunroom, arts and crafts…even a huge papier-mâché cat was created one summer! Club Bub was the name for when Sharon and Barry, now called BUBBE and ZADIE by every one of Savanna and Ben’s friends, babysitted. There was watching Battlebots and ALL the Marvel movies. There was hours upon hours of dress up. Zadie was a favorite to put hats and wigs on… as he never said no.

Careers also end. Barry retired in 1995 after a long, fulfilling stint as principal at Alta Vista. He was often offered promotions but always turned them down as that would take him too far from the teachers and students he loved. Sharon retired in 2000 also after making a huge impact on the students of Sarasota County.

And finally, even the most blessed lives end. Barry and Sharon were married for 64 years. Through thick and thin, in health and in illness, in good times and in bad, they had each other. Our family didn’t really have a ‘motto’, but if it did, it might have been as Savanna once said to her baby brother Ben: we STIK together. However, as we all sadly know, sticking together is harder and harder as one ages. The body wears while the mind might remain sharp, as was the case here. A fall, a few injuries and even a man who had hardly spent one night in a hospital in over 60 years found himself on that slippery slope. But truth be told, he was 93. He was living the most charmed life. And now…it was time for the final curtain call. Our hearts are broken, but ohhhh how he flew! Dad, Zadie, Barry… we wish you Godspeed! And we know we will see you again someday.

All our love, Audrey and Stu

A Memorial service will be held at the Jewish Congregation of Venice on Thursday, October 19 at 1:00PM. The family has made it possible for those who are unable to attend in person, to do so virtually by using the link below.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86517594816

Meeting ID: 865 1759 4816

Passcode: jcv

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmsrobartsfuneralhome.com for the Napshin family.

The family would like donations to go to Magen David Adom: https://secure.afmda.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2000&2000.donation=form1&s_src=GNRLWEB&FURL=UR