Donald Charles Barron

In the hour of mercy on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13, 2023, Donald "Red" Barron completed his earthly pilgrimage toward heaven at the age of 86. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the seventh of eight children born to David Barron and Irene (Kirby), all of whom preceded him in death. A man of deep Catholic faith and devotion, he prayed daily for the eternal repose of a long list of deceased family members and friends. Near the top of this list were his two brothers, Sanford and Roger. Beautifully, at the moment of his death, Don looked up and asked, "Are my brothers here?"

Enlisting in the Marine Corps and later the Army, Don served as a chaplain's assistant and learned automobile mechanics and the electrician's trade. One of the chaplains, grateful for Don repairing his car, called him what he considered the greatest compliment ever: "Jesus Christ's mechanic." After his time in the military, Don moved to Traverse City, Michigan, where he met his beloved wife, Jean (Pawloski). They married on July 3, 1965, and raised 5 children: David (deceased), Daniel, Therese, Elizabeth, and Joseph.

Father Daniel Barron, O.M.V., of Denver, is celebrating his 27th anniversary of ordination on the day of Don's funeral. Therese and her husband, Kenneth O'Brien, of Traverse City, have four children: Luke, Katelyn, Sean, and Bridget. Elizabeth and her husband, Dr. Luis Barajas, of Indianapolis, have eleven children: Dr. Magdalena (Jon) Maginot, Daniel (Emily), Noah, Miriam (Noel) Stasiak, Trey, Rebekah, Thomas, Jacob, Caleb, Elizabeth "Ellie", and Joanna. Drs. Joseph and Sarah (Banka) Barron live in San Antonio with their two children, David and Adalind. Don has one great grandson, Carter David Stasiak. Don's great loves were God, his wife, his children, music, movies, tools, and fixing things. His talents reverberate in the lives of his children and grandchildren, among whom two enlisted in the military, and two have become electricians.

As a young electrician in the early 1960's, Don was invited to donate his time helping to wire the newly constructed Carmelite Monastery on Silver Lake Road. Little did he know that accepting this invitation would be the beginning of a lifetime vocation of service to the cloistered nuns. In 1988, Mother Teresa Margaret invited Don and Jean to serve as caretakers of the monastery. They moved the family into a house on the monastery grounds, where they lived and served the sisters until their retirement in 2019, when he was 82. His daughter, Therese, and her husband, Ken, carry on his legacy as caretakers for the nuns.

Visitation will be held from 5-7PM on Wednesday, May 17, at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, with a rosary at 7. The funeral Mass (with an hour of visitation preceding at 10AM) will be at 11AM on Thursday, May 18, at St. Francis of Assisi Church, which Don helped to build, and where he once served on the Parish Council and the Building and Grounds Committee, as a lector, and as a musician. In lieu of flowers, donations in Don's memory may be made to the Carmelite Monastery (carmeloftraversecity.org) or the Oblates of the Virgin Mary (OMVUSA.org).