Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Barry Joshua Wulwick was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Thelma and Sidney Wulwick in 1949. Soon after Barry's birth, the family relocated to San Francisco and then settled in Lakewood, California, in 1950. Thelma was a homemaker, while Sidney owned his own business, S & W Maintenance Cleaning Company. Barry had a great childhood as he was raised with his younger brother, Jeffrey. Their parents sat down to dinner with their sons every evening, as the family was very close. Barry's father taught them early on that family was a priority. In fact, Barry's father had a great influence on his life, as he was a devoted family man. His parents also shared a love of animals, as the boys had pet dogs growing up. The family took summer vacations together to beautiful places such as Yosemite. One time, the entire family took a Greyhound Bus all the way to Texas to visit Uncle Harry's farm. Barry was a great student in school, as he kept his report cards dating back to elementary school. Each report card was signed proudly by his parents. Barry was athletic. He was a swimmer and he played water polo. Barry's father shared his love of golfing with his sons. When the boys were in their teen years, he taught them how to golf and it was a sport that Barry loved. Barry graduated from Milliken High School and went on to earn his Associates degree in Political Science at Long Beach City College.

Barry always wanted to be a policeman. At the age of 17, he joined the Junior Policeman Program. At the age of 18, he was declined after a physical found a birth defect. While it was devastating, that birth defect also kept him out of the Vietnam War. Barry forged ahead, as he was tenacious when it came to his dreams. He went to Oceanside to pursue work in the Sheriff's Department. On November 27, 1972, he passed the physical and was accepted as an applicant. He went into the Sheriff's Academy at the age of 19. With his athletic abilities, Barry excelled in the tough physical training program, as it included long runs and running up hills in Los Angeles. His parents were pleased with his dedication to the program. His mom made him breakfast every morning and every night the family listened to his fascinating stories around the dinner table. When he graduated from the program on October 15, 1973, his family watched the graduation ceremony with great pride. Life was not without challenges. Barry's father died suddenly at the age of 63 in 1979. Jeffrey took over his father's business as the two boys cared for their mother, who was suffering from lung cancer. It was tough for Barry, but he knew that his father was in a good place. In 1985, Barry's mother died at the young age of 59. As brothers and friends, Jeffrey and Barry supported each other at every turn. After their parents died, Barry organized regular gatherings of the cousins at The Fish Company once a month. There were no excuses for missing event as it brought the family together.

Throughout his years of service, Barry was loyal to the Sheriff's Department as his work was his passion. He reached the title of Sergeant. He loved the work for the next 32 years with the department. He worked in the gang unit for many years before transferring to Malibu. One of his biggest assignments in Malibu was driving home the host of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson. In 1990, Barry was hit by a car in Malibu. He was transferred to the hospital by helicopter. Although he suffered back injuries, he was lucky to be alive. It was a turning point in Barry's life, as it made him realize that he wanted to have an heir. His greatest gift came in February 1991, when Barry's son, Sean Harrison Wulwick, was born. Being Sean's father was the best thing in his life. Barry was a wonderful father. He supported all of Sean's interests. Barry was so excited when he signed Sean up for T-Ball, he bought him a helmet that was a few sizes too big. When Sean played Little League and soccer, Barry attended all of his games. Barry supported Sean in school with the Earn While You Learn Program. He offered Sean a new television set if he earned a 3.2 GPA. Sean came close several times and then earned the television in his sophomore year. Barry always stuck to his promises and never lied. As Sean grew, they were really best buddies. They watched Barry's favorite television shows together, which included Law & Order, CSI and 24. He loved the investigative, crime shows. Barry also took Sean to see every James Bond film since he was born. He loved action movies. The last movie he saw with Sean was Gran Torino. Barry said, "That one's a keeper." There are so many memories. Barry was so proud of Sean's dedication to eight years of saxophone lessons. Barry loved listening as Sean shows great talent with a love of the sax. They enjoyed Taco Bell Wednesday's together, as Barry loved tacos and Mexican food. Barry shared his love of laughter with everyone. He enjoyed telling jokes that he had heard at work. He loved all jokes, whether they were corny, inappropriate or just funny. The last joke he told to Sean was about two golfers and a frog. Sean and Barry took Karate together and they both were about to receive their black belts. The greatest lesson that Barry taught Sean was to be straight-forward. If you're not happy, tell the person about it. If they're really your friends, they'll respect what you have to say. Barry knew that all too well, because he was widely respected. In every way, Barry led by example.

Family was everything to Barry as holidays were spent with Jeffrey, his wife Vickie and their children Jason, Scott and Amanda. Family is family forever as the door was always open and welcoming to Barry and Sean. When Barry pulled up in his cruiser while wearing his uniform, everyone felt protected. At Thanksgiving, Barry was the one who liked to carve the turkey. He celebrated birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's and Jewish New Year's in a multi-cultural way with the family. Oftentimes, Barry volunteered to work on Christmas Day so people of Christian faith could have their holiday with their families. Christmas was the hardest work time of the year because it resulted in many domestic calls. He tried to talk to them and if that didn't work, he kept everyone safe and someone would end up in handcuffs. Everybody loved Barry. Sean remembers that Aunt Annie and Uncle Dave played golf with his dad and really liked him, wanting to spend more time with him. Sean and Barry had a recent visit to San Diego's Wild Animal Park and Barry really liked it. When he saw a lion swat his lioness, Barry laughed, "Yeah, he's the King of the castle." He was looking forward to going back for another visit to the park to see a new exhibit.

Barry had many favorites in life. He liked Carne Asada Tacos and his favorite drink was either Scotch or Long Island Iced Tea. His favorite Scotch was Johnnie Walker Blue. There are some fun stories about Bob Burnett doing shots with Barry. He was into fitness and showed Scott and Sean that he could do the most difficult push-ups. He could also do one-legged squats. He liked being physically fit as he did cardio at home and took Karate for three years. He had a green thumb and his favorite plant was the Star Jasmine. He liked wearing golf shirts, but his favorite outfit was always his uniform. His favorite saying was, "You can't fix stupid." He joked on the golf course with his friend, Mike, by calling him Old Queenie or Three Jab. His favorite music was classic rock by Elton John, Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Chicago, the Eagles, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Guns N' Roses, and more than 400 songs stored safely in his iPod. His favorite dog was an Irish Setter named Kelly, who had lived with him when he lived in the condo. He loved watching sports, especially the Angels, Lakers and Chargers. He'd yell at the TV if the Lakers were down in points and say, "Get the ball in the basket!" He made $1 bets on the games with Tim Burns and watched with great enthusiasm, hoping to win. Barry was a very talented poker player. Every holiday, the family played Texas Hold 'Em. Barry played in a poker league and he played in the Old Tom Morris Matches. He loved golf, as he was a member at the Candlewood Country Club for nine years. He was known for his chipping and his great putting skills. Barry loved cars. The first car he owned was a Roadrunner, which had the fastest engine. He always had the nicest cars and drove a Porche. He loved the fastest cars. He liked being a Sheriff, because he could drive fast and not get tickets, but he was always a safe driver. He used to have a BMW, but traded it for a Honda Accord. Amanda recently found a stack of pictures that Barry had taken of the interior and the engine of his Honda, that's how much he loved cars. When Jeff's wife, Vickie, won a jackpot while playing poker, she bought Jeff a silver Jaguar. It was funny, because the tide had turned from the times when Barry had the Porche and Jeff drove a Pinto. Barry enjoyed having the best gadgets first – he made sure he owned the best top of the line television, stereo, cable service, phone and iPod.

Barry always told his son, "I love you," and they had a wonderful relationship. In fact, one time when Sean went over to a friend's house he gave his father a hug and said, "I love you." The mom came out of the house and asked Barry, "How did you do that? How did you get Sean to say 'I love you'? I can't do that with my kid." Barry told her, "You just have to be open with it." As father and son, they had very open relationship as they discussed everything in their lives. After seeing the film Beowulf, Barry told Sean that he liked the idea of a Viking funeral as the Viking was put on a ship with all of his valuables and the ship was sent out to sea and set on fire. "That's what I want my funeral to be like," he said.

After Barry retired in 2005, he missed the work. He started doing security part-time. He renewed his gun license and was hired by the private security firm, SSA Security, helping the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf chain of stores. Workers felt more secure with his presence. In his final days, everything was normal. The Sunday before, he went out to wonderful dinner with Tim. On Monday night, he told Sean, "Sleep well. I'll call you in the morning. See you in the afternoon. I love you." In the end, he was heading to a job as security, doing the job he loved to do.

Barry was always grateful to Vickie and Jeff for including him so fully in their lives. When it came to his niece and nephews, Barry had a special relationship with each one. Barry had a unique relationship with his nephew, Jason, from the time he was born. After his birth, Barry was the third person to hold him, after his parents. An incredible uncle, he even watched over Jason's first operation to make sure he was okay. For Christmas, he brought 15 bags of gifts to the house for Jason. The family has very fond memories of the times when Barry would pull up in the police cruiser as he was Santa in a Sheriff's uniform. When Jason had his 18th birthday celebration, the family turned the entire house into a casino with blackjack. Barry loved the party as he had his picture taken with many of the girls. Barry was there to support Jason during the most challenging times in his life, as an officer and as an uncle. Barry helped him get back on the right path and he was so proud of the man he's become. For his nephew, Scott, Uncle Barry was always the go to guy that you could say anything to without judgment. When you couldn't tell your parents, you could always tell Barry. Scott will miss his advice and seeing him happy, because he always had something good to say. Barry was so proud when Scott joined Naval Intelligence. Barry was looking forward to The Tiger Cruise event in March. The Tiger Cruise is for friends and family to board the ship and sail with active military. For his niece, Amanda, they had a nice relationship. Amanda always felt she could call him for legal advice for a friend. She will miss his laugh that was out of this world. Barry was so proud of her for going to college and for becoming an amazing young woman.

For his son, Sean, his father was his best friend. Sean will miss everything about his father, especially his presence. He is proud that his father will be awarded his black belt in Karate posthumously. Barry's brother, Jeffrey, has so many memories. Barry saved him from a swimming pool when he was only four years old and he got him out of jail a few times. He was always there for him, offering advice. He was Jeffrey's advisor and he was right most of the time. Barry was the best big brother. Jeffrey will especially miss the holidays with Barry, such as Easter at Candlewood, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving and playing golf together. They were partners in golf and they won scrambles through the years. Vickie, his sister-in-law, will miss being able to call Barry because she could count on him. He always appreciated her cooking and enjoyed the holidays with the family. Irwin, his cousin, will miss Barry as they remained good friends all these years. Irwin's wife, Jeri, will miss Barry's witty fast comebacks. Carol, Barry's life long friend, misses his parents and now misses him. She misses his unique laugh and his ability to leave others feeling better through his presence. That was his gift in caring for everyone, leaving everyone with a smile. Tom, who has been Barry's friend since 1973, will miss the camaraderie, the fun dinners, and a good glass of Scotch with his best friend of 35 years. For Mike, his good friend, he'll remember so many funny sayings on the golf course with great fondness. Chris, who has known Barry for 10 years, remembers Barry always had new jokes to make you laugh and he'd laugh along while telling them. He delighted in the delivery of a joke to make people laugh.

Honorable, trustworthy, honest, and loyal, Barry will best be remembered as a hard-working man, whose family was his priority. The best parts of his life were family and his work. He loved being a public servant, as he liked to help people. He was always smiling at the end of the day because he did well and tried his best at work. He was always willing to share his incredible stories, as there were lessons to share. He was also comical, funny and had a great sense of humor. Today, when people hear his name, they smile because his positive spirit was infectious and beautiful.

Barry was preceded in death by his parents Thelma and Sidney. He is loved by his entire family: his son, Sean; brother Jeffrey and his sister-in-law Vickie; niece Amanda; nephews Jason and Scott; many cousins; close friends Tom, Tim, Bruce, Bob and many friends; extended relatives and co-workers.

Barry always donated part of his paycheck to the Relief Fund for Fallen Officers. Memorial donations are welcome in Barry Wulwick's name to Sheriff's Relief 1-800-544-4772 Survivors & Dependents Fund #422.