Joseph Leonard Barach Jr.

Joseph Leonard Barach, Jr. "Jay" 1942 - 2016 A Witness to the Resurrection and Celebration of the Life of Joseph Leonard "Jay" Barach was held Sunday, September 11, 2016 at Sardis Presbyterian Church, Sardis Road, Charlotte, North Carolina with Dr. Jane Fobel, Doctor of Ministry. Jay had said he always liked her prayers. Jane Fobel came right out to Novant Matthews to bring him a prayer shawl from Cousin Peggy Baird"s ministry. He was appreciative that Jane Fobel brought busloads of Sardis people to see JAARS, Inc. in Waxhaw, NC where he worked devotedly. Memorial gifts are asked for JAARS, Inc., designated for GTIS Core Mission Fund, P.O. Box 248, Waxhaw, NC 28173. Jay worked 8am-5pm as a faithful volunteer in their computer department since about 2002. Son Joe, and granddaughter, Rachel, sang "Go Rest High On That Mountain". Granddaughter Hannah played Amazing Grace solo on her clarinet with professional accompaniment by Sardis staff for both. Hymns were "Blessed Be Your Name" and "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". Scripture Lessons were Psalm 61:1-5, Isaiah 40:28-31, Psalm 23 in unison, John 4:13-14 and Revelation 21:1-7. Barach means Blessed in Hebrew. Jay and I were blessed to meet at age 16 when he got a job at Dan Hood"s Lake Haven Ranch Camp"which was opened in 1959 with Cy Hood (brother of Dan, teacher, & principal) and Sanford B. Morton (postman for 40 years) and Mrs. Morton, former cook of a cafe in Matthews, NC. With good food and fun driving tractors and bulldozers, Joseph Leonard Barach, Jr. (Jay) was hooked. He built a totem pole with a chain saw, taught swimming and was lifeguard. I first read J.D. Salinger"s Catcher In The Rye over Jay"s shoulder. We were married at Sardis at ages 20-21 and lived happily ever after when I was not complaining. We had three children and six grandchildren to survive Jay: Sarah Dandridge (m. Neil Brandon), Joshua, and Joseph (m. Lauren Smith). Grandchildren are Hannah, Abigail, Rachel, Avery, Benjamin, and Caleb. Jay"s parents were Joseph Leonard Barach of Pittsburgh, PA and Phyllis Shaw Pratt of Passaic, NJ. Joe and Phyllis met at Lake George, NY where both their families had summer homes. Jay was the eldest of five children who were moved to Charlotte, NC in 1956 by Celanese. Jay Barach was brilliant and quiet, interested in many things, went from being a reactor operator in the US Navy to civilian telecommunications, retired and went to JAARS. He told a son that he"d gone from being "a warrior of iron to a warrior for Christ". He took up violin in his 40"s, switched to viola when the conductor asked for help, and played in the Raleigh Community Orchestra. His supervisor at JAARS nicknamed him "The Flash" because he was so fast to help people. Jay Barach memorized The Night Before Christmas when he was four years old and recorded it on a wax disc. He remembered the name of his preschool teacher who would stop by his home in the mornings and drag him out from behind the living room chair by his ear on her way to school right across the street in Montclair. NJ. When he was six, his mother told her sister she did not think he had much intellect. Jay"s Aunt Barbara Pratt Fulton (Mott) a kindergarten teacher in Virginia, saw a submarine Jay drew and informed the mother she was wrong and he was plenty smart. Fifteen years later he was training in an old WWII submarine diesel engine room in preparation for Adm. Hyman Rickover"s nuclear power program. Jay successfully avoided going to "Hymie"s Hilton" for people who needed extra study. When billets opened, Jay was ready to serve on the SSBN George C. Marshall 654 where the motto is Patience Not Weakness. He was blessed to have astigmatism disqualify him for Naval Aviation during the Viet Nam War and blessed again when his boat (that"s what subs are called) was hit by a Russian counterpart and had to sail submerged across the Atlantic Ocean in an up and down porpoise pattern as it could not go straight. If it had turned upside down, it would have been lost at sea. All I knew was I got an unexpected chance to drive to visit him in Charleston, SC in 1968, when there were some upset snipers on the highway. Blessed again. After NC State University and three children, Jay joined the Raleigh Aeromasters radio controlled flying club with his sons as well as the Durham County Wildlife Club. Jay demurred from having a cheerleader in the family but heartily supported his daughter"s soccer efforts even to playing on the high school level with the boys as there was no girls" team. Later he came to appreciate the cheerleading aspect of leading a team or a family. Jay was a regular in his Christian Fellowship Sunday School Class at White Memorial Presbyterian Church, in Raleigh and the Crossroads Class at Sardis Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. He loved music and having the grandchildren in music and art lessons. He would clean out the shelves shopping for washable markers, glitter, stickers, and all sorts of art supplies to keep the grandchildren"s attention focused in the right direction. He turned his living room into computer central for the grandchildren as well as having chickens and ducks. One remembered feeding them Fritos. They remembered how their Pop Pop would take them out in the field to release weakening celebratory balloons to float peacefully heavenward and taught them to drive. He would decorate the buggy and wagons with American flags and parade the children around with his old Jeep. An enthusiastic participant of the NC Stewardship Forestry programs, Jay loved seeing his crop grow. As Jay helped the orchestra conductor, he helped everyone with his skills. He was so smart. He was the "brains" of the family. A supporter of having things in working order, clean & green, he was a worker. He felt professional help was worth the price. He supported his children"s athleticism by attending races at JAARS and Charlotte. Recently he went to Panama City Beach, FL to help hold down the spot for the family to watch his daughter, Sarah Brandon, complete her first Ironman. With the help of the Holy Comforter, we look to Jesus and the next generation to keep us on the upward path.