Virginia Barry Had the Drive to Succeed

The first woman to receive a Realtor’s license in Sarpy County and take a set on the City Council of Fort Calhoun, NE, has died.

Virginia Katherine Barry suffered a heart attack and died Thursday in her home. She was 77.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun.

Barry was born in Ashton, NE and raised in Grand Island. After she graduated in 1945 from a rural high school, she went to real estate school.

Barry in 1961 became the first woman to earn a license and became a Realtor in Bellevue, her son Greg, said. She would follow military families in Bellevue to local hotels and ask them if they needed a home, he said.

“It was tough competing with a bunch of men in the office in those days. It was cut-throat,” he said. “But the customers appreciated her openness and drive.”

In 1968, Barry moved to Fort Calhoun with her family. She still had her license but didn’t practice real estate. Instead she got involved in politics and became the first woman elected to the City Council.

“She could argue with the best of lawyers,” her son said.

Barry also loved to shop, especially for Christmas ornaments and trinkets. In her home she had a room decorated in Christmas decorations, her son said.

Barry also volunteered at Children’s and St. Joseph Hospitals.

Her husband, Charles, preceded her in death.

Other survivors include sons Rick of Manitou Springs, CO, and Charles J. of Bellevue; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Omaha World Herald 4 September 2004

(Photo)

BARRY—Virginia Katherine, cherished wife, mother, grandmother, great-grand¬mother, sister and friend. She joined her loving husband, Charles, in our Lords gracious arms on Sept. 2, 2004. She is survived by her sons, Jeff and his wife Toni, Rick and his wife Cindy and her beloved Greg. Also surviving are her grandchildren. Tori Foster and Al, Jennifer McPherson and Scott, Tara Harrison and Eric, and Jeff Barry III, as well as 4 great-grandchildren, Tyler and Jabe Foster, Holden and Trevor Harrison. Mom also leaves behind a host of relatives and dear friends.

Among her many accomplishments and one of her proudest moments came in the early 1960’s when she be¬came the first woman in the city of Bellevue, NE to be a licensed realtor. She also was the first woman elected to the Fort Calhoun, NE City Council. She loved her family dearly and lived life to the fullest.

VISITATION with the family will be at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ft. Calhoun Mon., Sept. 6, 2004 from 6:30-8 pm followed by a VIGIL SERVICE at 8 pm. A MASS will also be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Tues., Sept. 7, 2004 at 11 am.

Private Interment. No Visitation at Mortuary. Memorials to the family for a memorial bench to be placed next to her husband, Charles, at Fort Atkinson State Park.

Heafey-Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler West Center Chapel.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~