Obituary of Martin Barrett

Martin James Barrett, 85, of Whitehouse Station, NJ, formerly of Upper Montclair, NJ passed away peacefully on Sunday August 3rd, 2014. He is survived by Barbara, his beloved wife of 60 years. Born and raised in Manhattan, NY, Marty was a graduate of Fordham University, an Air Force veteran and a retired Textile Marketing and Sales Professional, having worked for Burlington Industries and the Forstmann Woolen Company in New York City, NY. A devoted Yankees Fan, one of his great loves was sports and he was honored to have owned a sporting goods store, "Marty Barrett's Sports Shop," in Upper Montclair for many years. It was in Montclair that he met and mentored many teens and young adults as a coach and referee for area sport teams, and if you lived on Norman Road, chances are you saw Marty outside playing ball with neighborhood kids. He was a member of the Mercier Club, the Knights of Columbus, as well as a long time parishioner of St Cassians Church where he was a lay reader for many years. He refused to slow down even in his retirement, and after moving to Whitehouse Station, kept busy with community involvement and volunteering at the Whitehouse Station Ambulance Squad. He was proudest of his children, and is survived by sons Christopher Barrett of Whitehouse Station, NJ and Sean Barrett of Greenville, SC, as well as daughters Sheila Pedraza (Louis) of Augusta GA, and Paula Kurschus (Eric) of Bernardsville, NJ. He is also survived by his beloved and adored grandchildren, Christian and Ryan Pedraza, Makaela and Olivia Kurschus and Joshua, Madison and Carly Barrett who all loved their "Papa" dearly, and will miss him very much.