Barry Dean Hutzell

Barry delighted in music, theater, and games, but above all, he delighted in sharing laughter with the people around him. From an early age, he displayed both curiosity and creativity. The youngest child and only son in his family, he grew up hunting and fishing with his father while also teaching himself to juggle, solve a Rubik’s Cube, play chess, and even ride a unicycle. He was an excellent trumpet player, a member and officer of the Forest Hills High School band, an honor roll student, and a performer in school plays such as Our Town and Arsenic and Old Lace. He also spent multiple summers as a camp counselor in Maine, where he shared his enthusiasm for sports and the outdoors with others.

Barry carried his love of performance into adulthood. He attended Penn State University, where he sang with the Penn State Singing Lions, the university’s show choir, and remained active in the Central Pennsylvania arts community. While living in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, he performed with the Bellefonte Community Band and with local theater groups, including State College Community Theatre at the Boal Barn Playhouse, where he sometimes played trumpet from the loft and at other times stepped on stage. As an actor, he was known as a gifted character performer, bringing warmth and humor to comedic roles. Throughout his life, Barry and his wife Cathy also lent their voices to church and community choirs. Making music together was an enduring part of their bond.

Barry’s talents extended well beyond the arts. He enjoyed games of all kinds: multiplayer online games like EverQuest, board games, trivia competitions, and family holiday tournaments he often organized himself. Known for arriving at gatherings in a festive costume, a clever T-shirt, or a funny hat, he brought energy and a witty sense of humor wherever he went. He was also a self-taught tinkerer, frequently building his own computers from parts, and could strike up a conversation with anyone on nearly any subject.

Faith was a grounding presence throughout Barry’s life. He was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, active in youth group and church plays at Mt. Hope United Methodist Church (now Mt. Hope Community Church) in South Fork, Pennsylvania, and most recently a member of Atascocita Methodist Church in Texas.

Barry met his beloved wife, Cathy, in State College, Pennsylvania, where they bonded over their shared love of music, theater, and faith. He later adopted her two children as his own. In 2008, the couple moved to Texas to be closer to their grandchildren, and together they discovered a love of cruising. Nearly inseparable from the time they met, Barry and Cathy remained devoted partners until her passing in 2022.

Barry built a meaningful career at the University of Houston, where he worked for 17 years in the C.T. Bauer College of Business. As an academic advisor for undergraduate accounting majors, Barry encouraged students with patience, kindness, and his trademark humor.

Barry is survived by his children, Nichelle Suzanne Strzepek and Brandon Christopher Ruling, and Brandon’s wife, Margaret; grandchildren, Elijah Calvin and Aurelia Rose Strzepek; his sisters, Sharon Myers, Brenda Webb and Kathy King; brothers-in-law Paul Webb, Terry King and Wayne Frazier, and Wayne’s wife, Alana. He is also remembered by many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, and friends who loved him. He was preceded in death by his wife, Cathy Lou (Waite) Hutzell; his parents Alvin and Velma; his sister, Pamela Frazier; and his brother-in-law, Thomas Myers.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Strawbridge United Methodist Church in Kingwood, Texas at 10 a.m. on October 11, 2025, with a reception to follow. All expressions of sympathy are welcome, including flowers, honorary donations, and cards. For those who wish to make a memorial gift, the family suggests Child’s Play Charity, which delivers therapeutic games and technology to pediatric hospitals, a music or theater charity of your choice, or the planting of a tree.