Barry Stelford, 97, from Urbana, Il, passed away Sunday, February 22, 2026, at Carle Hospital. 

He graduated from Urbana High School in 1946 and began work at Western Electric where he met the love of his life, Jeannette Huck, whom he married November 10, 1956. 

Barry had many interests and was very knowledgeable about lots of different subjects which made him an engaging person to talk to. He had more friends at the age of 97 than most of us have at much younger ages!  

He was especially known for his dry wit and sense of humor.  He looked forward to and enjoyed daily jokes from one brother-in-law and relished a white elephant Christmas gift exchange with another brother-in-law.  Two favorite gifts: an actual fire hydrant and the dashboard of a Terre plane. 

Barry was preceded in death by his wife, Jeannette, and his parents, Roscoe Sr and Gladys Stelford. He will be missed by his surviving family including his sister, Ramona Boone (Steve) and Jeannette’s nieces and nephews, Candy Soper, Lynn Burger (Mike), Jan Viste (Robert Chapman), Elaine Wilcox (Mike), Robert Stevenson (Jane), and Tami Myers (Randy).