Edward "Eddie" Barbara

Edward (“Eddie”) Barbara departed this life on Monday, July 17th. Born in Sudan in 1933, Eddie immigrated to the U.S. in 1958 on a cargo ship, landing in Brooklyn, NY. From there, he truly lived the American Dream, joining the Air Force, becoming a U.S. citizen, earning two master’s degrees, and spending more than 30 years at the Pentagon managing budgeting systems. Post retirement, he did some consulting that allowed him to leverage his many dialects of Arabic. Nothing made Eddie prouder than his family, including the love of his life, Gladys, to whom he was married for 58 years. A man of deep faith, Eddie was a devoted parishioner of Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church in McLean, Va. It was there that he and Gladys made lifelong friends who became weekly poker buddies, dinner mates, and travel companions. Eddie was a star athlete in his younger years. In the Sudan he played on the national basketball team and in the Air Force he was a star table tennis player, winning numerous trophies and medals. Eddie will be most missed for his kindness, funny stories, and his signature laugh that could be heard a mile away. He is survived by Gladys; Sonia (Bob) McCormick; Denise (Brian) Eckert & Jaqui (Charlie) Maglione, along with six grandsons – Luke, Pete, Dominic, Christian, Nicholas and Nathaniel. Funeral services will be held at Holy Transfiguration on Wed., July 26th. Viewing from 10-11; Funeral 11-12; Lunch 12-1:30. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Holy Transfiguration or to Comboni Missionaires.