Barry Neil Ball

Barry Neil Ball was the eldest of three children born to Daniel and Oralean Ball. Barry was born April 17, 1945, at King Daughters Hospital, Brookhaven, Mississippi. The family lived in Brookhaven, moving to Jackson, Mississippi, later to New Orleans, Louisiana finally settling in Clearfield Utah in 1952. While a teenager Barry met his future wife, Shirley M. Heath, they married June 1, 1963, in Ogden Utah at New Zion Baptist Church. Two children were born to their union.

Barry attended Clearfield High School, Clearfield Utah, where he excelled in all sports. He was Captain of the basketball team, quarterback for the football team, and outfielder and pitcher for the baseball team. During his senior year of high school, he was voted Clearfield’s all-star athlete for 1963. After graduating from Clearfield High school, Barry attended Weber State College, Ogden Utah on a basketball scholarship. After his freshman year he started working as a janitor for Mountain Fuel Gas Company in Ogden, the gas company gave him the opportunity to continue his education, by paying for his books and tuition, he graduated from Weber State College in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering and an associate degree in drafting.

In June 1970 he and his family moved to Boulder Colorado where he began his career with IBM Corporation. As an employee of IBM, he advanced from a Quality Engineer to an Engineering Manager. He managed the plastic’s department production, and the engineering department. In 1986 his job transferred him to an IBM plant in Lexington Kentucky where he worked in keyboard printer development and ribbon technology. During his extensive career at IBM his job allowed him to travel throughout the United States and abroad, where he worked with and met many different people. In 1993 Barry transferred back to Boulder, Colorado to implement the ISO process for the Lexmark plant, he was the plant Quality Manager and ISO Quality Engineer. Barry worked a total of 40 years, retiring from Lexmark in 2010. Barry enjoyed his career, he rarely missed work, he was extremely easy to work with and made lifelong friends.

Barry always loved the game of golf and retirement afforded him the extra time to enjoy the game with his friends and wife. He especially enjoyed going on road trips with his kids and grandkids, sometimes stopping along the way to play golf, checking out the courses in different states. The family always looked forward to a summer or fall vacations in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Barry was a member of Second Baptist Church, Boulder Colorado, he also enjoyed attending church service with his daughter Tanya at Scott United Methodist Church in Denver and with his son Ryan at Eastern Hills Christian Church in Centennial. Barry was a great father, always there with a helping hand or good advice, or just to listen, he was also a dedicated grandfather, helping to raise his grandson, Collin. When his son Ryan became a single father, his work schedule made it all but impossible for him to tend to his two children’s daily needs, Barry stepped right up driving to Centennial, Colorado every other Friday, spending the entire week there so that the grand kids were taken care of. He would cook, clean and get the kids to and from school. He would also help the grandchildren with their homework and make sure they got to their baseball, basketball and soccer practices, he never missed any of their games. He cherished every chance he got to take them to a golf course, to teach them the game. Barry had an incredibly special love for his “gran’s” and they for him.

Barry was preceded in death by his parents, Daniel and Oralean Ball and nephew Aaron Brown. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Shirley M. Ball, Longmont CO; Daughter Tanya (Robert, Jr) Thames, Commerce City CO; Son Ryan Ball, Centennial CO; Sisters, Phyllis (Clyde) Burch, Tampa FL., and Jennifer (Cliff) Biggers, Coshocton OH. Grandchildren Collin Ball, DeShawn Fletter, Aaron Ball and Olivia Ball and one great-grandson Collin Ball Jr. He also leaves behind his mother-in-law Mae Glynn, Ogden UT; sisters-in-law Patricia (Cozy) Mitcham, Ogden UT, and Gladys (John) Martin, Dallas TX. Brothers-in-laws Larry (Linda) Heath Ogden UT and Lloyd Heath, Gilbert AZ, also many nieces, nephews, cousins, other extended family, and friends.

Services will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, September 11, 2021 at Howe Mortuary, Longmont, CO. A second memorial service will be held at Second Baptist Church in Ogden, UT at a later date.