Barry Maxwell Martin

It is with heavy hearts that we, the family of Barry Maxwell Martin, announce his untimely passing on August 7th, 2025 with his family by his side. He was born on May 3rd, 1953 to the late Harold and Dorothy (MacDonald) Martin of Sydney.

Barry is survived by his loving wife of thirty-nine years, Anne Marie, his four children Katie (Jordan Mandel), Toronto, Alex (Michelle), Sydney, Jennifer (Paul) Hickey, Saint John, and Adam (Patrice), Sydney; eleven grandchildren Nolan, Jaden, Ava, Madison, Lily, Lucas, Rachel, Connor, Ivy, Charlie, and Nora. He also leaves behind his sister Dorothy (Roger) LeBlanc, brother Brian (Joanne), parents-in-law Red and Dianne Campbell,  two brothers-in-law Nicki (Leslie) Campbell & David (Janet) Campbell, five nieces, two nephews, one great niece, one great nephew, and many amazing friends.  

Besides his parents, Barry was predeceased by his sister-in-law Susan.

Growing up, Barry understood the importance of education, but it was unfortunately paused upon the death of his beloved father when he was fourteen. His Uncle Cyril stepped in as a father figure and provided him employment at H.H. Marshal’s. With his encouragement, Barry graduated from Sydney Academy and went on to receive his Bachelor of Business Administration, Masters of Business Administration, Certified Internal Auditor Designation, and Canadian Securities Institute Course. He challenged himself to reach the top of his field, being one of only 200,000 to date who have successfully completed the CIA designation. Barry was handpicked by the man who became his mentor throughout his financial career, Harry Rhude. He and Harry would spend their time travelling the globe in charge of mergers and acquisitions for Central Trust.

After many years working on the road, Barry decided to return home to Sydney, where he became the Branch Manager at Central Trust. While working at the bank, an opportunity came up to purchase The Wandlyn Inn, which he renamed the City Lodge, then The Meridian Hotel, then The Martin Arms Hotel, and finally, Harbourview Inn & Suites. The hotel opened the door for Barry to pursue other passion projects with his son, Alex, including live entertainment, a radio station (103.5 The Eagle), and real estate.

Barry was truly one of a kind. Outside of his academic and career achievements, Barry had many pastimes where he excelled. As a teen, he was a Queen Scout Award recipient, the top achievement for Venturer Scouts in Canada, which was given to him by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. As a young man, he was a boxer at the Venetian Gardens and an avid air pistol shooter, becoming a Canadian Air Pistol gold medalist. Perhaps his most talked about hobby was his horses, most notably his cherished Meridian Magic. She spent two years racing across Atlantic Canada, where she went on to a record breaking twenty-five wins in a row. She accomplished more than he could have ever dreamt of, so he retired her at the young age of four and kept her close to home so she could become a loving mother to many more championship winning horses.

Barry always saw the good in people and his word was his honour. His greatest pleasure was his eleven grandchildren and being their Big Poppy. Our family will miss his laughter and his stories. There was no one who could converse quite like our Barry; he was proficient in so many topics and enjoyed reminiscing about his amazing life. It comforts us to know that he is now with his beloved mom.

We would like to express our gratitude to the incredible staff on Unit 4C of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital for their attentiveness and support during Barry’s stay. The impact of your care will not be forgotten.

Visitation will take place at T.W. Curry Parkview Chapel, 755 George St, Sydney, on August 10th from 2 - 4 pm and 7 - 9 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Fatima on August 11th at 11 am with Father Peter MacDonald officiating. Memories and condolences can be shared with the family by visiting twcurry.com.  

  The Wheel of Life:

“When we have passed the tests we are sent to Earth to learn, we are allowed to graduate. We are allowed to shed our body, which imprisons our soul the way a cocoon encloses the future butterfly, and when the time is right we can let go of it.

Then we will be free of pain, free of fears, free of worry, free as a beautiful butterfly returning home to God, which is a place where we are never alone, where we continue to grow and sing and to dance, where we are with those we loved and we are surrounded with more love than we can ever imagine.”

                              Eliza Beth Kubler-Ross, MD

The service will also be available via live stream at the following URL: [https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=eea2a783-138e-4fc2-943b-4adffd105b66]