Leney Barclay

On December 31, 2022 Leney Barclay went to be with the Lord. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary Kershaw Barclay in 2009. He is mourned by his four loving children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; Carol Barclay of Lubec, ME and her children James (and Jessica) Frey and sons Ari and Jude, Diana (and Nathan) Stahl and daughters Josephine, Norah, and Violet, and Laura (and Dustin) Reimer and children, Theodore, William, and Rosemary; Hue Mary Barclay of Houston, TX; William (and Vassana) of South Londonderry, Vermont and his children Kris (and Juliana) of San Diego, CA, Achara (and Robert Osborne) of Santa Clara, CA, and Richard (and Nancy) of Houston, TX; and Ellen (and Claude) Girerd of Stockholm, Sweden, and their children Léna (and Conrad) Marshall; Margot (and Jan Lucas) Zimmer and son Otto; and Nicolas (and Nicole). Leney Cedric Ralph Barclay was born in Bergenfield, New Jersey on March 21, 1924. He joined the US Navy in 1942, serving on destroyers in the North Atlantic and the Pacific with distinction. With the aid of binoculars, he was able to witness the signing of the Japanese surrender. After the war, Leney apprenticed as a plumber. He married Mary Kershaw in 1949 and started his own business. They moved to Vermont in 1955, giving their four children an idyllic childhood. In the 1960s they relocated to Allentown, NJ, a small farming community. At this point, Leney and Mary decided to use their talents helping people in developing nations. In 1971, they began a new career teaching vocational skills in many countries, beginning with Malaysia and Swaziland. Leney enjoyed teaching so much that he returned to the U.S. periodically to attend university. He eventually earned a PhD. in International Vocational Education, working for various international aid agencies in Papua New Guinea, with Indo-Chinese refugees in Indonesia, preparing them for resettlement, and setting up vocational training schools in Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. After retirement, Leney and Mary returned to Vermont where they were busy in many community and church activities. Leney was very active in the local Masonic Lodge, West River Lodge #57 and Mt. Moriah Lodge in Wallingford, VT. He served as Master several times, District Grand Master, and the representative for Vermont to the Grand Lodge of England. He and Mary enjoyed frequent travel to visit friends and family around the world. It is a tribute to their parents that all four of their children and their grandchildren have chosen careers of foreign service, teaching, and Christian ministry.