Barry Edward McElroy

Barry Edward McElroy April 24, 1947- June 2025

Barry Edward McElroy, 78, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the son of Althea Sweeney and Edward McElroy. As a child, he enjoyed an extended family that included Depression-era grandparents who encouraged hard work, as well as aunts and uncles who valued education, music, and laughter. 

He grew up stone-skimming and watching barges on the Monongahela River carrying bituminous coal, and helping his grandfather, a miner, till the family garden. In Millsboro, PA, a community with a legacy of coal mining dating back to 1760, it was understood that each generation would go to work in the mines, and that is what Barry did. 

After serving in the US Army Reserve, he spent four decades in the mining industry. He held progressively responsible positions as a technical service engineer. His work paralleled the evolution of the industry, focusing on products such as the room-and-pillar, longwall, and highwall miners. It also reflected the corporate acquisitions and ever-changing industry landscape. 

Barry's employers included Bucyrus/CB Mining/Caterpillar; CONSOL Energy (Enlow Fork and Bailey Mines); and Halbach & Braun Industries. While at Bailey Mine, he was part of the team that made it one of the safest and most productive mines in the world, producing over 12 million tons of coal annually. In reflective moments, Barry would comment that what mattered most in the mining industry could never be measured… only understood. It was the “brotherhood”— a bond, stemming from knowing, in the hazardous confines of a mine, all were intrinsically linked by the responsibility you shared for the lives of your fellow workers. Bonds that evolved into lifelong friendships and that remained cherished in his final days. 

Barry loved music and had an encyclopedic knowledge of all genres, but his “go-to” was always the blues. When most would have shown resignation, the lyrics of hardships brought inspiration and levity. With his hat turned backward and his disheveled, wild, curly gray hair, he would steady himself and shuffle across the floor. That was his physical therapy. His fondness for music began when he listened to his colorful uncle playing Jerry Lee Lewis. At one time, Barry amassed over 2,500 “45s”. Although he could listen to music tirelessly, his most beloved performer was his son and only child, Daniel McElroy. 

While growing up, Daniel pursued the piano, and the two traveled the concert circuits of our local artists as well as those with worldwide acclaim. But it was without fail that one could always find “Dad” in the audience of his son’s performances, stirred by fatherly love, pride, and enjoyment. Barry embodied the long-recognized link between a man and his machine. He was an avid Formula 1 enthusiast and long-time BMW convert. He attended their professional racing school and spoke authoritatively on the design and engineering of cars. Be it a racer, roadster, or a station wagon, he embraced them all!

Barry is survived by his son, Daniel Edward McElroy, his granddaughter Olivia McElroy and his longtime companion, Rebecca Sohn, as well as a group of incredible friends who stood steadfast by him throughout his life and in his time of need.

Friend are invited to a visitation Wednesday, July 2nd at Neal Funeral Home 925 Allison Ave. Washington, PA 15301 from 2PM to 4PM and 6PM to 8PM. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Washington Area Humane Society, 1527 PA 136, Eighty Four, PA 15330