Barry Harman Good

Barry Harman Good passed on July 8, 2026, at the age of 77, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was born in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY, on October 17, 1948, to Renee Good, née Gottlieb, and Milton Good. Barry is lovingly remembered by his wife, Kathleen “Kathy” Good, née Bowler, his daughters, Rose Good Meitzen (John) and Sarah Good Rideout (Jacob), his grandchildren, Havah Sadie Meitzen and Solomon Josef Rideout, and his large circle of extended family and friends.

Barry grew up in the Bronx, NY, in a closely knit family including his maternal and paternal grandparents, Rose Bernstein, née Gottlieb (Jacob “Jack”), and Rose Good, née Berkowitz (Joseph), respectively. Barry grew up immersed in Yiddish and a life centered around Jewish ethics, values, and culture. He attended DeWitt Clinton and Roosevelt High Schools in the Bronx. He ventured to Louisiana for college, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Northeast Louisiana University, and his PhD in botany from Louisiana State University. At Northeast he met the love of his life and wife of 52 years, Kathy, and her extended Bowler family, including her 17 brothers and sisters as well as her parents, Rosemary and Pete Bowler. Rosemary and Pete would play important roles in his life, and he loved them like his own parents. Barry and Kathy were married on July 26, 1973, in New York, with a family celebration in Kathy’s hometown of Harahan, LA. Barry and Kathy were blessed to enjoy a happy and fulfilling marriage deeply rooted in friendship and love.

After earning his PhD, Barry served as a professor of biology at a number of institutions across six states, retiring as a Dean in the University of Montana system. In all the places he called home, he was an active member of the local Jewish community, teaching Hebrew, and serving on multiple synagogue boards and committees. After retirement he and Kathy moved to Raleigh, NC, to be near their family. He especially loved spending time with his children and grandchildren, always encouraging them to pursue their own interests while offering them unconditional love and support. In Raleigh, he was an active member of Temple Beth Or. He participated in Torah study, taught Hebrew, served as a member of the local Beit Din, and led shabbat services at a retirement home. He enjoyed fishing, building model airplanes, learning new fields of inquiry, and watching Star Trek. He is remembered in Raleigh and in all his communities, personal and professional, as a kind man, and a lifelong teacher and a humble scholar who shared his wisdom with an endearing sense of humor.