Barry Deutschmann Obituary

Lake George - Barry Jay Deutschmann, 78, passed away following a brief illness at Glens Falls Hospital on January 23, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

Barry was born on May 11, 1947 in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY to Adolph "Otto" and Ethel (Maskiell) Deutschmann. He was the eldest of four siblings, all of whom grew up together in Huntington, NY. As a child, he was a “Polio Pioneer,” having been enrolled in the first national trial of the polio vaccine. At the age of 15, Barry along with his brother Eric and neighborhood friend Robert Safstrom, made the news by bicycling a 200-mile round trip in 36 hours (including 10 hours of sleep on the beach) from Huntington to Montauk Point on the eastern end of Long Island.

After graduating from Huntington High School, Barry enrolled in the 4-year IBEW Local #25 Apprenticeship Training Program to become an electrician. Upon completion, he took a backpacking adventure to Alaska to experience its nature and wildlife. Shortly thereafter, he was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam conflict and was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX, where he served on a construction crew.

 After returning home to NY, Barry’s great-uncle, Frank Deutschmann, encouraged him to join the Gottscheer Männerchor (Men’s Chorus), based at the Gottscheer Hall in Ridgewood, Queens, to explore his cultural roots. The Deutschmann family originates from Gottschee; a German-speaking region first settled during the Middle Ages around 1330, formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and is now within the borders of southern Slovenia. Their dialect, Middle High German, is now listed by the U.N. as an endangered language.

It was at one of the dances held at the Gottscheer Hall where Barry met his future wife, Betty Spitzer, in 1973 and the two began dating.

When the recession of the mid-1970s halted many construction projects, Barry accepted a union electrician position in Shippingport, PA, where he worked on the construction of the Bruce Mansfield Power Plant along the Ohio River. He continued to date Betty, traveling back and forth between PA and NY on weekends. After a short engagement, Barry and Betty were married at Mary’s Nativity Church in Flushing, NY, on May 31, 1975, and together they moved to Beaver, PA.

As the power plant project reached completion, the couple relocated to upstate NY, near Betty’s parents. They purchased a small four-family apartment house in Warrensburg, NY. Barry gradually renovated the apartments and rented each one out while the couple lived in the garage apartment on the same property.

Barry and Betty then purchased land in Lake George, NY, and—like his father before him—designed and built their home nearly entirely on his own. They resided there for the next 45 years.

After retiring from the electrical trade, Barry began buying, restoring, and selling antique furniture. He became quite skilled in woodworking and furniture restoration. Regarded as a master craftsman by many, he seamlessly replicated intricately carved wooden pieces during his projects.

In the home he built, Barry and his wife raised two sons as a stay-at-home dad. He was dedicated to his family, taught his sons to read and write, and read to them almost every night. He helped with their homework, taught them how to use tools, play baseball, care for animals, how to drive, and many other useful skills.

Barry’s favorite activities included woodworking, book and tool collecting, antiquing, and vegetable gardening. He was especially proud of his extensive collection of antique moulding planes, and he enjoyed showing them off to anyone who stopped by for a visit. As his life-long passion for genealogy grew, he mapped several branches of the family tree going back multiple generations and into the early 1700s. Many of his discoveries came from old church records, which he painstakingly transcribed from often nearly illegible handwriting written in several different languages. Through this work, he became a volunteer researcher for the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association (GHGA) and was honored in 2009 for his many hours of service.

Barry was an animal lover and enjoyed watching the wildlife around his home, including deer, moose, rabbits, woodchucks, several species of birds. Most recently, he was visited by large flocks of wild turkeys, which would come running at the sound of his whistle. Known within his family as a “dog whisperer,” he was greeted enthusiastically by nearly every dog he met. Barry was well known in the neighborhood for riding a friendly Belgian draft horse named Maybell, who could sometimes be seen grazing in the front yard, much to the surprise and delight of neighbors. He also welcomed a stray cat named Smokey into the family, who remained a beloved member of the household for 16 years.

Barry had a gift for storytelling and often enjoyed sharing interesting or humorous stories from his many life experiences with his family and friends.

He was a member of IBEW Local #25 for almost 60 years, a Patron-Level Member of the National Rifle Association, a member of the NYS Rifle and Pistol Association, and Dunham’s Bay Fish & Game Club. In his earlier years, he greatly enjoyed deer hunting in the Catskills with his father and great-uncle Frank.

Barry was predeceased by his parents, Adolph & Ethel; his brother, Eric, and close cousins Jeanette Parmelee and Bruce Kubeck.

In addition to Betty, his wife of 50 years, he is survived by their sons Adam of Ballston Spa, and Josef (Ashley) of Philadelphia; his sisters Hazel Garrett and Claudia Ruther; nephews Aaron (Kenni), Adam (Eleni) and Andy Garrett; nieces Aimee Ciarlo and Amber Ruther; grand-nephews Alistair & Anson Garrett; grand-niece Alina Garrett; special grand-nephew and grand-niece Cooper & Cameran Ciarlo; and several cousins.

The family extends special thanks to Dr. Thomas Coppens for many years of excellent care and great conversation, the Lake George EMS Squad, the Glens Falls Hospital Emergency Room staff, and the nursing staffs of Tower 6 and Tower 2.

Calling hours will be held 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at the Baker Funeral Home, 11 Lafayette St. Queensbury, NY 12804 followed by a brief service during which family and friends are invited to share their memories of Barry. A luncheon featuring German cuisine will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Lake George Emergency Squad, the Lake George Scholarship Association, or another local charity of choice.

Arrangements are under the direction of Baker Funeral Home. Condolence can be made by visiting www.bakerfuneralhome.com