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Former Sachem educator Henry Barton, 67, dies

BY RICK BRAND | rick.brand@newsday.com

April 28, 2008

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Henry L. Barton, a former Sachem administrator for 22 years who headed the school district's 10,000-student elementary program after serving as principal of four grade schools, died Saturday at his Holbrook home. He was 67.

Barton, known as Harry to his friends, was taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead after medics were unable to revive him on the scene. He had spent the morning gardening in his backyard greenhouse, preparing tomato plants as gifts for friends. The cause of death was not determined, the family said.

"Harry was a terrific guy," said Ralph Stile, a retired principal who worked with Barton. "He was a totally kid-centered and family-centered guy who was always straight and honest, and he was totally dedicated to Sachem." Even after he retired in 1998, Barton won a seat on the Sachem school board in 2002 and served one term. He was attending school sports events just weeks before his death.

"He cared for each and every kid no matter how many there were," said his son Henry of East Patchogue, an executive assistant to the Brookhaven assessor. He added that his father "took pains to know the name of every child in his building, be out front when children came to school and review report cards of every student each quarter."

His wife of 46 years, Roseann, said her husband's greatest strength was his "sense of fairness. He treated everyone exactly the same, no matter what they had or what they did." She added, "He also had a wicked sense of humor."

Born in Newburgh, Barton was one of three children. His father died when he was young and his mother was a teacher. He graduated from St. Patrick's High School and Siena College in Loudonville in 1963.

While a college junior, he met his future wife, then a freshman at Albany State University, on a blind date when the girl Barton was supposed to meet snuck away. "I thought he was wonderful from the moment I saw him," Roseann Barton said. The couple wed a year and a half later.

After graduation, Barton worked as a teacher in upstate Valley Central School District at Coldenham Elementary School for three years. The couple, who by then had three children, moved to Long Island to work in the booming Sachem school district, where he worked for 33 years.

After working nearly a decade as a teacher, Barton first became principal of Chippewa Elementary School in Holtsville. He later held the same post at Tecumseh in Farmingville, Merrimac in Holbrook and Gatelot in Ronkonkoma, where he worked the longest. In his final five years, Barton was named executive assistant to head the district's entire elementary program.

Beyond his school career, Barton loved minor league baseball and had season tickets for the Long Island Ducks since the team started. He attended their latest opener Friday night, where, as always, he meticulously kept a score book.

In addition to his wife and son, survivors include two other sons, Thomas of Medford, and Christopher of Coram; a daughter, Susan Hodgins of Coram; two sisters, Patricia Doetsch and Mary Barr, both of Newburgh; and five grandchildren.

A wake will be today at Moloney's Lake Funeral Home in Ronkonkoma from 2-4 p.m. and from 7-9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated tomorrow at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church in Ronkonkoma at 10:45 a.m. Burial will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram.

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