Cover photo for Lt Col Barry Sheldon Suckman, Usaf (Ret.)'s Obituary
Lt Col Barry Sheldon Suckman, Usaf (Ret.) Profile Photo

Lt Col Barry Sheldon Suckman, Usaf (Ret.)

February 20, 1945 — June 18, 2021

Lt Col Barry Sheldon Suckman, USAF (Ret.) passed away on Friday, June 18, 2021, after a short illness. Born on February 20, 1945, in Glens Falls, New York, Barry was the son of the late Carl and Elayne Suckman. He grew up in Upstate New York by the shores of Lake George, working in his father’s A&W Root Beer stand.

After attending college at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and in the Air Force ROTC detachment, Barry was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1967. Barry’s first assignment was to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, in 1968, where he served in various roles including working for the Inspector General’s office and as program manager for the C-133 aircraft.

In 1969, he met his future wife and love of his life, Judy at his roommate’s wedding in LaGrange, Georgia. They married in December of 1970, and had their first son, Brian, in November of 1971. In 1973, Barry deployed to Thailand for a year.

In 1974, Barry returned to Robins Air Force Base. In 1976, Barry and Judy welcomed their second son, Kevin to the family. He also obtained his Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from the University of Georgia in 1976. In 1977, he was reassigned to the Logistics Management Center at Gunter Air Force Station, Alabama. In his off-duty time, he enjoyed being actively involved with his family and was Brian’s Little League coach. In 1981, he was selected to attend Air Command and Staff College and received a follow-on assignment to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in 1982.

While in Guam, Barry was assigned to SAC and the 3rd Air Division and traveled extensively for work at the height of the Cold War. However, he always found time for family and playing sports with his sons. The family also traveled extensively through the Pacific, making multiple visits to Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines.

In 1985, Barry was reassigned to Robins for the third time, ultimately becoming the division chief responsible for all air-to-air missiles in the Air Force. In 1990, he moved over to Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command to serve on the IG team before his retirement in February of 1992, after exactly 24 years on active duty.

Barry went to work as a defense contractor for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), where he would spend the next 24 years working various programs to support the Air Force.

In 1997, he commissioned Brian as a first lieutenant in the Air Force as a judge advocate. In 2001, he commissioned Kevin as a second lieutenant as he became a C-17 pilot in the Air Force. After Kevin’s medical retirement from the Air Force, Barry helped guide Kevin’s new defense contracting business into a thriving enterprise.

Barry loved to travel and enjoyed visiting Germany, Rome, Venice, Paris, and London with his family. He also enjoyed visiting Disney World and would accompany the family on multiple trips every year. He was a devoted Atlanta Braves and Falcons fan, but still rooted for his childhood teams the New York Giants and Yankees.

Barry is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Judy Suckman; his devoted sons, Brian and Kevin Suckman; and his brothers, Henry and Robert Suckman.

A memorial gathering with be held on Monday, June 28, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at McCullough Funeral Home. A memorial service celebrating Barry’s life will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of McCullough Funeral Home. For friends and family unable to attend, the service will be streamed live via the McCullough Funeral Home Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mcculloughfuneralhome/live/.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests memorial donations be given in memory of Lt Col Barry Sheldon Suckman, USAF (Ret.) to the Road Warrior Foundation, at www.roadwarrior.org, or by mail to Road Warrior Foundation, c/o Craig Anders, 1998 Stonewater Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45458.

Learn more about the measures McCullough Funeral Home is taking to ensure the health and safety of our guests at www.mcculloughfh.com. There you can also sign an Online Registry for the family. McCullough Funeral Home and Crematory has the privilege of being entrusted with these arrangements.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lt Col Barry Sheldon Suckman, Usaf (Ret.), please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Memorial Gathering

Monday, June 28, 2021

1:00 - 2:00 pm (Eastern time)

Add to Calendar

*Standard text messaging rates apply.

Memorial Service

Monday, June 28, 2021

Starts at 2:00 pm (Eastern time)

Add to Calendar

*Standard text messaging rates apply.

Guestbook

Visits: 8

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors