Barrier Sr. Jay Brosius
February 9, 1951 ~ October 30, 2008
Barrier, Jay Brosius, Sr., 57, passed away Thursday, October 30, 2008. Memorial service 11:00 A.M. Monday, November 3, 2008 at East Heights United Methodist Church. He was born the 5th child of John Robert and Mary Ellen (Brosius) Barrier on February 9, 1951. He lived his first 18 years in Wichita attending East High School, graduating in 1969. He attended the University of Kansas and after graduating in 1975, he returned to Wichita where he went to work at Barriers Inc., the family company. He met his wife-to-be Malea Wallace and they married on July 14, 1979. They had four children, Morgan (1982), Jay II (1984), William (1986), and Connor (1987). Upon the death of his father in 1992, Jay assumed the presidency of the company and experienced great success both maneuvering the company through economic down-turns known as the tech-stock bubble burst of the early 2000s and the current credit crisis of 2008, and enjoying periods of profound growth through the 1990s and 2000s until his death. He was a proud father and a proud son. He was very intelligent and during difficult debates could be spotted sitting quietly in thought. Usually once he knew where he stood he would dispatch opposing arguments with the dexterity of a surgeon yet with infinitely more tact. He was a very loving father and his children thought the world of him. He was a fair and skillful boss; he proved business is exactly the place for honest introspection. He was preceded in death by his father and a brother, John, Jr. He is survived by his mother, Mary Ellen Barrier, of Wichita; brothers, C. David (Mary) Barrier, of Kansas City, KS, and Stewart Barrier, of Wichita; sister, Jane (Barrier) Sudermann, of Wichita; former wife, Malea, of Wichita; daughter, Morgan, of Kansas City, MO; sons, Jay, II, (fianc Jill Pflumm) of Kansas City, KS, William and Connor, both of Wichita. He will be greatly missed. A memorial has been established with The Salvation Army Biddy Basketball, 1410 S. Glendale, Wichita, Kansas, 67218.
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Please accept our deepest condolences for your family’s loss.
Our hearts are with the Barrier family at this sad time. We have so many wonderful memories of Jay at school events. He was a very proud father and a true gentleman. With sympathy from our family to yours.
I was shocked to hear of Jay’s passing. I went to school with Jay at East High. Everyone loved Jay. He was such a great guy and never met a stranger. His good humor always made it fun to be around him. I will miss him dearly. We at the East class of 69 were hoping to see him at our 40th reunion next summer. My thoughts and prayers our with the family today. He was a great friend. Gary A. Jantz (East High Class of 1969)
To the family of Jay Barrier, Our thoughts of sympathy and love in this sad, sad time. Dr. William and Martie Hayes
Morgan, Jay, Will, and Connor, as your first grade teacher at Hyde, I had the chance to know your dad through the four of you. It was obvious that you all meant the world to him. He attended every parent/teacher conference and was so interested in every detail about each of you. I also remember attending several of your basketball games and how proud and involved he was. It was always fun seeing your dad in the following years because he loved to talk about you, and he knew I was very interested in his updates. Malea, you and Jay will always stand out in my mind as very committed, supportive parents. I never drive past your house (or your parents’ house) without thinking about the days when your kids were at Hyde. I am thinking about all of you during this sad time.
On this day when leaves are falling, the weather is changing, and Fall will turn into Winter it causes us to reflect on the cycles of life that come and go. Your Dad always helped us find just the right piece whenever we needed something…and it always seemed to be in the Fall or Winter at holiday time. He always asked about Teresa and then would tell us what each of you were doing with a big smile on his face. Keep that memory of his love and smile with you always. Hugs