Dorothy “Dottie” Sykes (Hall) Barry was born Dec. 16, 1922 in New Albany, MS, the daughter of James Franklin and Dorothy Wayne Sykes Hall. She died peacefully in Memphis on October 8, 2022. After moving to Memphis in 1932, she graduated from The Hutchison School, class of 1940, where she served as class president, president of the Student Council, and a member of the National Honor Society. In later years she was the class representative and the last surviving member of her class. In 1943 Dottie married Warren Hood Barry of Memphis, an officer in the Army Air Force, and they remained wed for 67 years until his death in 2010 at the age of 90. In WWII he was a B-24 bomber pilot, shot down over Germany in 1944 and a POW there for the duration of the war. During that time Dottie attended Ole Miss, where she graduated in1944, living in the Chi Omega Sorority house. She and Warren were parents of 3 daughters and 2 sons.
In addition to her husband Warren and her parents, she was preceded in death by Houston Gilleylen (her stepfather after her father’s death); by her daughter Beverly Barry Frazier (Neal) in 2013; by her brother James Frank Hall of Memphis; by her sisters Catherine Sykes Hall Evans (Julian) of Aberdeen MS and Jane Sykes Hall Gardiner (Eric) of Atlanta; and by nephews Julian Evans III and Clifton Evans, both of Aberdeen, and Richard Hall of Memphis.
Dottie leaves two sons: Warren Hood Barry Jr. of Memphis and Jeff Hall Barry (Amy) of Signal Mountain, TN; two daughters in Memphis: Dorothy Julian “Judy” Barry Maynard (Fletcher) and Lanier Sykes Barry Grimm (Dr. Lee); 11 grandsons: Fletcher FitzGerald Maynard III (Mary Elizabeth) of Chapel Hill, N.C., Barry Dashiell Maynard (Eleanore) of Memphis, William O’Neal Frazier III (Allison) of Memphis, Warren Barry Frazier (Haley) of Atoka, TN, David Jeff Frazier (Heather) of Collierville, Dr. Leander Morel Grimm, Jr (Meredith) of Mobile, Dr. Barry Sykes Grimm (Mary) of Nashville, Jeff William Grimm (Sarah) of Memphis, Warren Marvin Grimm (Jessica) of Memphis, Warren Hood Barry III of Memphis, and Jeff Hall Barry Jr of Signal Mountain; and 3 granddaughters: Sarah Lanier Grimm Curry (Trent) of Memphis, and Kate Lawson Barry and Elizabeth Sykes Barry, both of Signal Mountain. Plus 27 great grandchildren!
Dottie also leaves 2 nephews: Franklin Evans of Prairie, MS and J. Frank Hall, Jr (Liz) of Memphis; 3 nieces: Jackie Harmon Saylor (Murray) and Jane Harmon Knight (Don), both of Atlanta, and Virginia Hall Benefiel of Collierville.
The Barry’s thought it was important to expose their children to Biblical teachers who held a high view of Scripture and who believed firmly that the risen Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Dottie was a longtime member of First Evangelical Church in Memphis, where she had in years past served as President of the Women of the Church and where she was its oldest member. She also served on the Board and as Treasurer of LeBonheur Club.
She and Warren loved traveling to various places all over the world, often with Dr. William F. and Marje Andrews and Warren’s brother Julian Barry and his wife Flo of Dallas TX. Good times! One amusing highlight occurred when Dottie, Marje, and Patty Ozier spied actor Omar Sharif in their hotel elevator in Spain. Determined to get his autograph, they followed him and got it!
Dottie and her family enjoyed going to Five Lakes Outing Club in Arkansas, various beaches at Destin, the Cloister in GA, and their Madison “lake house” in west Tennessee. Watching their children and grandchildren play sports and cheering them on were always important. Dottie and Warren were U of Memphis boosters for many years. They rarely missed a game. In later years she and good buddy Aggie Turley loved both the Tigers and the Grizzlies!
She was in her forties after the birth of her fifth child when she began seriously to play tennis. She enjoyed membership in the University Cub and played in many tournaments with her doubles partner, the late Nancy Blair. At the age of 70, “Dot Dot” (as grand and great-grands called her) and her partner Nancy even won a doubles USTA tennis tournament.
For many years Dottie held wonderful “Tuesday night dinners” for her family in her spacious Central Gardens home. There she also loved hosting Child Evangelism, Jesus “birthday parties,” and meetings for Bible Study Fellowship, Young Life, and Campus Crusade. There were family reunions at the family home, the Old Homestead in Aberdeen, MS, as well as many weddings, christenings, and funerals there.
Among her favorite childhood memories were house parties and horseback rides and fox hunts with her grandfather Eugene Lanier Sykes Sr at the Old Homestead and at nearby Old Waverly. In June 2013, at the age of 90, she had the pleasure of co-sponsoring and attending a Sykes family reunion at Old Waverly as the oldest of over 200 cousins.
All of those interests and activities had a high priority in her life. She was also very mindful of her family’s history in other ways. Along with her sister Jane, she was a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames 17th Century; the DAR; the National Society of Magna Carta Dames; Americans of Royal Descent; the Colonial Order of the Crown; and Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America.
Mother was truly a Proverbs 31 woman,”Who can find a virtuous woman? For her worth is far above rubies, the heart of her husband safely trusts her ……... she opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness.” That was our mom and our grandmom!
A private burial will be at the West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Germantown. Memphis Funeral home is in charge. The family requests memorials be made to First Evangelical Church, 735 Ridge Lake Blvd, Memphis TN 38120. Her family gratefully acknowledges those who greatly helped Dottie, including Veronica, Linda, Alma Jean, Delores, Ella, and Keisha.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemphisFuneralPoplar.com for the Barry family.
