Barry Lee Whitlock

Barry Lee Whitlock, 71, of Crawford, GA passed away peacefully on March 15, 2025 surrounded by his loving family.

Barry was born at home in Morgan County, GA on January 10, 1954 to the late John T. Whitlock, Sr. and Jennie Henrietta Spratlin Whitlock. Barry attended Morgan County Schools and spent his early years working as machinist for several local manufacturers. While his drive to work and never sit idle was a very defining part of who he was, the essential position that he held dearest was that of a family man. Barry welcomed his first child, Nicole Leigh Whitlock in August of 1975. Even though Nicole moved with her mother to be raised in Naples, FL, Barry very quickly learned that nothing in this world was as precious of a gift than that of fatherhood, and committed his life to raising honest, loving, dependable and hard-working children.

In 1976 Barry took his first welding position with Christian Brothers Automotive in Madison, GA where he learned the trade and earned the title of “Muffler Man”. This endeavor proved fruitful as it brought to life his love and passion for welding, and put in motion not just a career, but a way of life for him. Soon after, in yet another defining moment in his life, he met Gail Bryans. They soon started their young lives together by moving to the Bryans family homeplace in Newborn and sharing eight years together. Although their time together was not quite short, they knew that it brought them what they both needed. Out of those eight years came two incredible gifts, a precious daughter Jessica Page Whitlock and a few short years later an only son, Wesley Bryans Whitlock. While it was different than what they envisioned when they sought out together in their early twenties, their relationship became one of lifelong friendship instead.

In April of 1986 Barry met the love of his life, Judy Standard Gillen. They quickly learned at that first encounter that they shared many things in common, but the one most important to them both was being parents. When they found one another, Barry learned of Judy’s beloved children; her daughters, Sherry Arlene Ward and Vickie Lynn Ward, and her son Cory Faust Gillen. While the paths that led them this particular part in their parenting journeys were different, their passion for putting family first was the same. When they came across one another in an event of happenstance, Judy was treating Sherry to an evening out of dancing at The Frog Pond in Athens for her birthday when Barry walked in. As he so beautifully put it many years later when he finally popped the question, she was and still is “the most beautiful person he has ever known in his life”. He declared that it was love at first sight, and Cory confirmed that had to be true because he kept coming back to their front door and asking for more time. Those many dates resulted in a match that could only be concluded as made in Heaven, as Barry and Judy went on to raise their children and build their wonderful life together. This eventually led them to the shores of coastal Georgia as Barry took a contractor position with Hardaway Contracting Company. He spent years there working to reconstruct the now Historic Causton Bluff Bridge, a bascule bridge on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It was one of many ventures in the field that took him on and off shore and even underwater welding. It was during this adventure that he and Judy met new friends that they could never imagine would quickly become family, Capt. John C. McCarthy and his lovely wife Karen. Over the years, even after his departure from Hardaway, the couples remained inseparable. They celebrated the births of both McCarthy boys, witnessed so many graduations, weddings, births and other joyous occasions and endured the darkest of times together. The McCarthy’s were instrumental in proving to Barry that not only is life what you make it, but the same can be said for family. They remained the truest friends forevermore, even after Barry and Judy moved back to the place Judy called home in Oglethorpe County, although it was already evident for Barry and Judy that home was wherever the other was.

Barry and Judy came home to Crawford, moving his career from the shores he loved so dearly for the sole purpose of being closer to home to provide for his family and have as much time with his children as possible. Together they built B&J Welding. It proved to be a blessing in so many ways. Barry was rewarded with watching his son Wesley not only grow up at B&J Welding, but begin his career there full-time as soon as he graduated from high school. Wesley would later go on to buy the shop from Barry and Judy to continue in his father’s footsteps, but most importantly so his dad could retire and “piddle”. We still aren’t quite sure that either Barry or Judy knew what most people would consider retirement to be as they both were never still. They have worked nearly every day of their lives, pouring labors of love into their homes, their children’s homes through various projects, their community and so much more. The adventures that they have been on together far surpass the space available in this brief allotment to adequately paint the picture of either of them. Suffice it to say that no one could ever describe Barry without the words hard working, family man, devoted, kind, generous and faithful. In addition to watching Wesley build a family of his own and raise his four children at B&J Welding, Barry also thrived in loving his daughter’s children who have loved coming to “PawPaws shop”, which is without a doubt forever what it will be. B&J Welding will always be his place, and we will always feel him there.

When he wasn’t piddling around Crawford Barry loved roaming all the way down to Newborn to see his sweet daughter Jessica and her family. Visiting her and her family was one of his favorite things, whether it was to lend a hand on a home project, help her boys fix a four-wheeler or piece of equipment, or to just show up. He had a tendency to do that to most everyone he loved. He just showed up. Whether they expected it or not. Some of his best stories are those he told of watching Jessica’s children thrive on the same Bryans family farm where Jessica and Wesley’s life began.

Although Nicole’s mother moved her to southern Florida as a very young child, she found her way back to her father and healed a piece of his heart. Barry was able to once again know and love her alongside her husband and children. He enjoyed traveling to see them, and loved it most when they made trips back home to visit him. Even after moving to her husband’s home of Budapest, Hungary in recent years, Barry enjoyed being able to stay in touch through video calls and learn about the adventures his family was creating of their own.

Out of all of the joys of his life, the most recent came to him September 23, 2024. Barry and Judy were chartered off the shore of Savannah, GA by what no one could have ever thought would be the last time by Capt. John and Karen McCarthy. While it may have been the last ride on open waters, it was the most precious and monumental ride that any of them would ever have together. It was on that beautiful fall day that Barry and Judy officially tied together the last forty years of love and commitment. They were united in marriage in a picture-perfect ceremony by the McCarthys, proving that last journey to be the best of all.

Another part of life that Barry loved dearly was the many friends he found along the way. Among those was yet another friend that quickly became family, David Callaway. Barry could often be found gallivanting between Crawford and Rayle where he spent countless days with “Callaway”, whether at David’s shop or Barry’s, in between for meals, auctions, adventures and shop talks and eventually on the sidelines of the local t-ball fields watching their precious grandchildren together. They had the joys of watching their children grow up together, welcoming grandchildren, and everything else in between. Yet again, another friendship that proved the test of time and remained to be one of the truest and most pure.

In addition to his parents Barry was preceded in death by his brother, John T. Whitlock, Jr.; sisters Gloria Jean Whitlock Smith, Marietta Whitlock and Dorothy Ellen “Dot” Whitlock Stewart, daughter Vickie Lynn Ward Wolford, great-grandson Connor Jackson Payne, sister-in-law Carole Gillen, brother-in-law Rodney Stanley Standard.

Barry leaves behind his loving wife, Judy Gillen Whitlock, of Crawford, GA; his beloved children, daughters and sons-in-law Nicole Leigh Whitlock Benyi and Csaba Benyi of Budapest, Hungary, Jessica Page Whitlock Cason and Clay Cason of Newborn, GA; son and daughter-in-law Wesley Bryans Whitlock and Jennifer Whitlock of Lexington, GA; daughter Sherry Ward of Crawford, GA and son Cory Gillen (Melissa Fulcher) of Lexington, GA; his cherished grandchildren, Dylan Benyi, Shiloh Benyi, Stella Benyi, Lucas Cason, Davis Cason, Mason Armour, Maddie Armour, JD Armour, Charlotte Whitlock, Lindsay Ward, Garret Wolford, Dustin Wolford, April Wolford; great-grandchildren Caitlyn Arwood, Hannah Puleo, Kyler Payne, Talyn Payne; brother Harold Whitlock (Patsy) of Fayetteville, GA; sisters Virginia “Jennie” Stewart and Susan Callaway of Madison, GA; brothers-in-law Tony Standard (Bonnie) of Jackson, GA and Richard Mower of Lakewood Village, TX; as well as his treasured friends who he valued as family, Jack and Gail Welch of Newborn, GA; Capt. John and Karen McCarthy of Savannah, GA, and their cherished sons John Brian McCarthy and Sean McCarthy; and David Callaway of Rayle, GA.

Funeral services will be Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm at Lord and Stephens, East. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1:00 until 3:00 pm at the funeral home.

Lord and Stephens, East, 4355 Lexington Road, Athens, GA 30605 is in charge of arrangements.