Barry Mitchell Storter
Marriages
Barbara (Acton) Storter - December 27, 1950
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - May 14, 2017
Barry Mitchell Storter
August 8, 1927 - April 29, 2017
Barry Mitchell Storter, age
89, beloved husband, father,
grandfather and brother-in-law,
passed away on Saturday, April
29, 2017, at Mantey Heights
Care Center in Grand Junction,
CO.
Barry leaves behind his wife,
Barbara (Acton) Storter; his
children, Steven (Marie)
Storter of Lake Zurich, IL;
Christine (Tom) Bloss of Montrose; Kathryn (Nick) Prinster of
Grand Junction, and David (Melanie) Storter of Montrose; eight
grandchildren, Nick, Mitchell and Katie Storter, Ben Bloss, Will
and Mariah Prinster, and Jeremy and Callie Storter, and sister-inlaw,
Jean Ann Acton. He was also a beloved uncle, cousin and
friend to many.
Barry was a resident of Grand Junction for 36 years. He enjoyed
the scenery and climate of Western Colorado, but he never lost
his strong ties to his South Florida heritage. Born in Ft. Myers,
Florida on August 8, 1927, he was the youngest of four children
of Claude and Callie (Barry) Storter. He was proud of his family
history; being settlers in the Everglades.
He spent his younger years in Ft. Myers and Naples, Florida.
After high school, he served in the US Navy during WWII,
stationed on a ship in the South China Sea. Upon returning home,
he began his lifelong love of education. He attended Emory
University, The Ohio State University (BA in Business),
University of Florida (Pre-Med), University of Miami (Florida)
(MD), the Ohio State University (three-year residency in
Occupational Medicine) and Loyola University in Chicago (threeyear
residency in Psychiatry). He remained an enthusiastic
Buckeye and was a proud member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
Barry met his eternal sweetheart, Barbie, on a spring break trip
to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. They were both attending the Ohio
State University at the time. They were married on December 27,
1950, in Columbus, Ohio, on a frosty winter’s eve. As lifelong
companions, they enjoyed 66 years of marriage.
Although Barry started out in the business world, he found he
was attracted to medicine and made a career change. After
medical school, internship, and a residency in Occupational
Medicine, he became Medical Director of the Western Electric
plant in Omaha, NE. His career advancing, Barry next took a
position as Medical Director of the Eastern Division of Union Oil
Company in the Chicago area. Ultimately, he decided to follow
his desire to practice a different type of medicine and he
completed a three residency in Psychiatry at Loyola University,
Chicago. This led to a private practice in Libertyville, Illinois
which lasted several years.
Lured by Colorado and a less hectic lifestyle, in 1981, he took a
position as a Psychiatrist at the Veterans Administration Medical
Center in Grand Junction, Colorado. While Barry officially
retired in 1997, he continued serving veterans doing contract
psychiatric work at the VA until the age of 79. Professionally, he
was a well-respected, caring and compassionate physician.
Barry enjoyed camping in the West and boating on Lake
Michigan. There are happy memories of salmon fishing and trout
fishing with his sons. He had a deep appreciation for music,
especially classical music and opera; one of his great joys was
attending the Lyric Opera in Chicago. Barry loved travel, and
after retirement, he and Barbie explored diverse parts of the
world. Most of all, however, Barry cherished our family
gatherings. They were filled with passionate discourse, lively
debate, laughter, tears, mutual respect and, most of all, love.
Barry finally succumbed to the ravages of Alzheimer’s Disease
on April 29. Due to his intellect and insight into the disease, he
fought it with the same passion that distinguished his remarkable
life. His family will deeply miss his presence in every aspect of
our lives. In the hope that others might avoid the effects of the
insidious disease, the Storters humbly request any donations be
made, in Barry’s name, to the Alzheimer’s Association.
A Celebration of Barry’s life will be held on June 24, 2017, at
4:00 p.m. at the Avalon Theater in Grand Junction, Colorado.
