Barrie Stretton

“Memories are precious, they don’t go away. We think of you always and not just today”

Barrie sadly passed away at R.S.U.H on 4th October 2021 aged 78 years.

Beloved Husband of Jen.  Devoted Dad of Carole, Robert & Tony.  Cherished Grandad & Great Grandad.

His funeral will take place on Tuesday 26th October at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 2.45pm.

Kind donations in Barrie’s memory are going to Macmillan Leighton Hospital.

For further information and to offer your condolences, please telephone our Funeral Home on 01270 584447

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Born in Nantwich on 21st April 1943, Barrie was one of four children born
to his parents William and Gertrude. He had a brother Tony, who has
sadly predeceased him, and two sisters Margaret and Evelyn.
Having left school he joined the Welcome Foundation as a compositor,
over the years he would work at the Sentinel, finally retiring from a
position with Alsager Printing.
A man who embraced all his roles in life, Barrie was a loving father to
Carole, Robert and Tony. A doting Grandfather to Ashleigh, Elliot, Lucile
and Jack, and a great grandfather to Bowie and Robin. Sadly like so
many others, the lockdown impeded Barrie’s time with his family and the
younger members in particular. Precious times snatched away.
In his teens Barrie was an accomplished swimmer and water polo
player, competing for Crewe. He passed on the love for swimming and
competition to his children, they were all talented and carried the
competitive torch passed to them from their Dad.
Barrie’s active life had many surprising twists, he took up scuba diving
and this interest took him around the world literally dipping his toe into
many a sea and ocean.
Jenny and Barrie had been together for 26years, they married on 12 th
March 2008 in Las Vegas, I am assured there wasn’t an Elvis anywhere
in the Wedding Chapel just Barrie and Jenny and the taxi driver as a
witness.
Everything went smoothly until the day after when a helicopter trip over
the Grand Canyon was punctuated by Barrie losing his wedding ring into
the chasm.
Travel always played a large part in their life together. Both Jenny and
Barrie were very interested in history, in particular Roman History, one of
their favourite places being Vanderlande in Northumberland. They
visited, Rome, Pompei and many other sites, soaking up the atmosphere
and culture wherever they went.
Barrie had always coveted a love of motor bikes, big motor bikes – as a
bike rider herself Jenny bought him a series of lessons, the sort where
you took your test at the end of the course, This added to Barrie’s list of

achievements, but the pinnacle of his travel experiences was, as the
picture on the front of our service booklet shows, the day when he
actually flew in a Tiger Moth – a lifelong ambition ticked off the list.
A memorable road trip from Kamloops to Seattle was made with Carole,
Robert and Elliot to the Museum of Flight where Barrie was enthralled
with the exhibits from WW1 and WW2. His love of flight extended to the
appreciation of the modern day aircraft and was a great reminder to
Carole and Robert how their Dad used to take them to watch air shows
as children.
In quieter moments Barrie enjoyed a game o f darts and dominoes with
his mates – he and Jenny loved the times they spent at the White Lion
on Ford Lane in Crewe. It was a wonderful place – a real pub, well run
and always warm and welcoming.
An avid reader Barrie particularly reviled in the works of Wilbur Smith.
Late night internet shopping and a little splash of gin is never a good
idea, on one occasion Jenny bought some tickets to see the Rolling
Stones in concert, only to find that the concert was actually taking place
in Boston, Massachusetts!
So another holiday was organised, incorporating the concert and a
wonderful tour of the area.
Barrie was a supporter of the red side of Manchester, he received a
season ticket for Old Trafford on his 70th Birthday ensured he could see
his team play live every game. Many facetime conversations with Brian
and Carole resulted in much laughter as the Canadian contingency were
City fans.
Barrie had many qualities which he brought to life everyday. He was a
quietly spoken man, unassuming and private. He could be stubborn and
incredibly determined – he set himself high standards and never failed to
live up to them.
He was the most wonderful giver of fun, laughter, warmth and infinite
security for those he loved and cared for. He will be remembered for his
carefree nature, his boisterous love of life, his loyalty and steadfastness.
He had a dry and wicked sense of humour – Jenny told me he was a
wonderful man, a first class gentleman and a wonderful supportive
husband, he gave his total commitment to anything Jenny wanted to do,
including the rigors of retraining to drive HGV’s to enable her to take the

huge stride to change her career. He was “an all-round good egg” and
she is going to miss him greatly.

May he rest in peace.