Regis Barrett

Well, folks, Regis Barrett, 90, has headed out on his final road trip on May 20, 2025. He left this world as ornery & independent as the day he entered it. He remained a consummate jokester till the end & as Will Rogers might say, “he never met a stranger”. Contrary to the rumors he started, he was, in fact, not “left” on a stump & hatched by the sun. Rather, he was born in Georges Township, PA on October 30, 1934, to the late Edward Vincent & Lyda Bell (nee Bowlin) Barrett. He was the 2nd youngest of 15 children. Eddie & Lyda Belle lived their version of the “Yours, Mine, & Ours” movie by having a combined family. Remarkably, 14 of the 15 children made it to adulthood & they were a close-knit bunch. Regis is preceded in death by his brothers, Thomas Barrett (Gloria), Dale Barrett (Midge), Robert Barrett, James Barrett (Martha), Edward “Eddie”Barrett (Floy), Hugh “Bud” Morgan (Edith), & Daniel Morgan (Mary) and his sisters Patrica Barrett (Fred Sutton), Norma Barrett, Catherine Barrett, Margaret Barrett (William Maschal), Mary (Will Klein), Gertrude Morgan (John Baxter) & Virginia Morgan (Charles Cole). He leaves behind his wife, Frances (nee Baran) of 64 years & his 2 children, Joseph Barrett (Leslie) & Amy Barrett. He also leaves behind many nieces & nephews & many friends. Regis grew up in & around Uniontown, PA. He graduated from Uniontown High School in 1953 and then enlisted in the Army. He was stationed in Germany during the Korean War working in the Army Security Agency. Once the Army was done with him, he returned to Uniontown where he worked as a mechanic & where he met Frances & they married. From there they moved to Newcastle, PA and then they settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Regis worked at the Tank Plant during the Vietnam War. Remarkably, the old tank plant building is still standing after he drove tanks around that building… props to the architect. After the tank plant, GM moved him over to work at the Coit Road Plant. Not happy with conquering road vehicles like cars, motorcycles, & tanks, he then started to learn to fly airplanes. He spent many years teaching many others to fly single engine planes out of Strongsville Airport. And, as a reminder to all of his former students, always remember to keep “flying the “GD” plane’. Always a proud democrat & not one to sit still, Regis became engaged in the City of Brooklyn after moving there in 1979. He volunteered with the Auxiliary Police, worked to bring the Plain Dealer to Brooklyn, was President of the Brooklyn Democratic Club for several years, served on City Council from 1992 to 1996, & was President of the Zoning Board of Appeals for 20 years. After he retired from GM, he still couldn’t sit still so he drove a truck for several years, became involved in the local food pantry for many years, and walked Amy’s dogs A LOT. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Alzheimer’s Association www.donorservices.alz.org. or to your local food bank. Service at the funeral home Saturday May 24, 2025 at 2p.m. Private burial with honors will take place at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Friends received at The Ripepi Funeral Home 5762 Pearl Road (at Snow Road) Saturday 12 noon - 2p.m.