Clifford Barr

Clifford Barr, 91, passed peacefully on August 18, 2022 in Boca Raton, Florida. He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Barbara; sons Brad (Amy), Greg (Rachel) and Todd (Cathy); eleven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Born in Philadelphia, Clifford grew up in Brooklyn in his grandparental home. He attended Poly Prep Country Day School, where he made several lifelong friends. After receiving his undergraduate degree at Princeton University, Clifford completed his studies at Harvard Law School. He practiced real estate law at Dewey Ballantine for five years before signing on with Uris Brothers Corporation, one of New York City’s premier builders. Clifford was instrumental in negotiating leases in many of the city’s gleaming new office towers, including 1301 Avenue of the Americas where he helped secure JC Penney as the initial anchor tenant, occupying over 800,000 square feet of space across 33 floors.

In 1973, Clifford moved his family to Wilmette, Illinois, in order to take advantage of a great opportunity as vice-president of Metropolitan Structures Inc. He was a driving force behind the company's participation in the Illinois Center project, an 83-acre mixed-use development in the heart of downtown Chicago. After retiring, Clifford and Barbara moved to Boca Raton, where he spent the last forty years of his life.

Clifford was an avid squash player and was proud to become a national champion at age 65. A huge fan of jazz, Clifford amassed a collection of thousands of records, which lined the walls of his living room. Visitors to Cliff and Barbara’s home could count on a highly curated evening of music along with a Bombay Sapphire martini, dry with an olive. Clifford was a clotheshorse as well, typically the best dressed man in the room. He loved to roam Madison Avenue on trips to New York, searching for the perfect pair of socks or cufflinks to accent his colorful outfits. Other interests included swimming, reading the New York Times every day, cover to cover, and lounging on the sofa with a copy of The New Yorker. He also enjoyed scratching the ears of the many Labrador Retrievers with whom he shared his home over the years.

Clifford was generous, both with his resources and his time. He loved treating friends and family to special gifts, dinners and trips but even more important, he was always available to give counsel and support. If something was important to you, it became important to him.

Clifford will be missed greatly by his family and devoted caregiver, Christina. In lieu of flowers, feel free to make a donation in his honor to the Tulane Brain Institute Research Fund. http://giving.tulane.edu/tbi