Barry Alfred Allard

Barry Alfred Allard was born on March 1, 1964, in Southbridge, Massachusetts, to Alfred Richard Allard and Carole Ann Allard (Gontowski). He was predeceased by his father. He leaves his mother, Carole Holley, and her husband, Paul Holley, of Waleska, GA; his brother, Bruce Allard, of Waleska, GA; his sister, Amy Allard, of Woodstock, GA; his nephew, Boone Allard, of Waleska, GA; his niece, Linnea Nicholson, of Woodstock, GA; and many Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. 

Barry passed away at home in the loving care of his family almost 8 months after the brutal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. 

Barry was a born entrepreneur. As a child, he mowed lawns, raked leaves, and shoveled snow in neighborhood yards, saving his hard-earned cash to buy his first riding lawnmower at the age of 12! 

He tent-camped with his family throughout New England, across the U.S.A., to Wyoming, and throughout the Maritime provinces in southeastern Canada. He enjoyed many ski trips with his brother to Mt. Snow, Vermont. He grew up participating in informal winter sports, including sledding, hockey, snowball fights galore, tobogganing, and family time at Holly’s cabin near Brattleboro, Vermont. He enjoyed many family trips each summer to our family favorite destination, Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 

Barry started his company Cape Cod Irrigation when he was 20 years old. He installed residential sprinkler systems across East Cobb and beyond for forty years. He proudly called himself a ‘ditch-digger’. His friends called him ‘The Codster’. Barry learned that work would never run out but that he needed balance in his life. He travelled extensively throughout his twenties. He loved visiting all of the countries in Europe, including Yugoslavia. He spent much time hanging out with friends in Sweden and the Netherlands. Barry was really good at arm wrestling. He beat the club arm- wrestling champion on one of his trips to France. He went to Australia for a month traveling up the eastern seaboard. He went surfing along the coast and scuba diving to see the fantastic coral in the Great Barrier Reef. Barry went bungee jumping in northeastern Australia in 1990 years before bungee jumping was a thing in the states. On the way to and from Australia, Barry took plenty of time to explore and surf in Hawaii. Upon his return to Georgia, he always said, “It’s good to go, but it’s always better to come home to the U.S.A”. 

Barry spent many years jet skiing with friends, mainly on Lake Allatoona. He was a quick-witted, funny guy with the biggest heart. He spent much of his life helping lift people. He took in people down on their luck, offering respite and work. He was always the practical jokester. His best friends know who they are. 

Barry truly loved what he did for a living. He so loved being outdoors. Whether mowing his massive lawn or just admiring it, he always had a cigarette in his mouth. He was full of wild and woolly ideas. He enjoyed being the boss of his life, living on his terms, and always being the best son he could be to his mother. Barry loved children. He would have been an awesome father. He was the kind of man that kids are always happy to see, the one they can climb all over and feel safe with. 

In lieu of donations, kindly plant a yellow rose bush, some flowers, or a tree in your garden in memory of Barry. Be sure to irrigate! A memorial service is planned for July 2025; details will be posted on Bruce Allard’s FB page. 

If you or anyone you know is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Barry would want you to please act swiftly to tell them there is a procedure that can block the pain. The procedure is called a Celiac Plexus Block. It stops the nerves directly behind the pancreas from sending pain signals to the brain. Unfortunately, we learned of the availability of this procedure too late. A 45-minute procedure with a pain specialist or integrative radiologist could have stopped the pain.