We remember Rotarian Barry Wetter
It is with great regret that we advise that Barry Wetter passed away. He was 84 years old.
Barry was a wonderful man in all kinds of ways. We all knew that he had some very impressive intellectual and professional credentials as a bona fide rocket scientist. More importantly though, Barry was a genuinely nice person. He was gentle and kind to everyone. He was soft spoken, but when he spoke he had something to say and we all listened. He had a wicked sense of humour which he deployed sparingly, but to great effect.
Barry originally joined Rotary in Ottawa in 2002. He moved to Squamish in 2013 and, to our great good fortune, joined out club that same year.
Barry very much exemplified the Service Above Self ethos of Rotary. He was a citizen of the world. He believed that our "community" included everyone on the planet, and his Rotary passion was International Service. He often spearheaded initiatives to benefit those in need in less privileged countries than our own. Most recently Barry served as our International Chair and was instrumental in conceiving and organizing our successful 2023 Gala in aid of, among other things, the John Gullo Home and the San Miguel School for the Deaf, both in Mexico, the Centre of Hope in Manila, Phillipines, and the Laos water project.
Barry believed in Rotary as a force for good in the world, and donated generously throughout his Rotary life. He was a Paul Harris Fellow seven times over.
More locally, Barry served as our Rotary Beef Barbecue chair for several years running. He ran a tight ship (or as tight as could be expected, given that he was having to herd Rotary cats). He also created the "How To" binder as a guide for his successors in that role.
We are all privileged to have known Barry, and are sad to say goodbye. We will miss him.
We extend our sincerest condolences to Barry's wife Jan and the rest of his family.