Barrett L Buniva

Born on October 16, 1948, Barry was a one of a kind person. He was known equally for his (often inappropriate) humor and for being a rock to anyone in need. Barry was raised in Tenafly, NJ where he worked various jobs such as at the Grand Union where he may or may not have been involved in drawing faces on cantaloupes, insurance sales, and as a volunteer fireman until finally joining the Tenafly Police Department. Barry was a member of the force until 2008 when he retired. His service during those years filled him with opportunities to build relationships, help the community, story tell and laugh- all true passions of his life. During his lifetime Barry was a member of Mt. Carmel church in Tenafly where as a child he attended school and later went on to serve as an altar boy, lector and volunteered his time as a lector coordinator. Attending church was important to him and he continued to do so for the majority of his life. He was a son, a brother, a cousin, an uncle, an in-law, a father, a grandfather and a husband. He met his wife, Jane, who he liked to introduce just to annoy her as “the lovely Jane” on a blind date when they were teenagers. They married in 1970 and built a life that included a home full of love, stability, laughter and adventures for their daughters Kimberly and Jennifer. They were married for 52 years when Jane passed away at the end of 2022. As a grandfather he had many names and wore many hats for Reese, Nicholas, Mark and Keira. He had a reputation for being the one to calm even the fussiest babies by some how getting them to quiet down and fall asleep on him while he held them wrapped in a blanket or riling them up as small children with chaos and relentless teasing which they delighted in with him. He leaves them with countless memories and stories. Barry was also a lover of music. He never traveled on a road trip (big or small) without being prepared with appropriate “tune-age” as he called it. He likely had the only children who as elementary school students could sing word for word the entire soundtrack for Jesus Christ Superstar and Don McLean’s American Pie in song order. Visitors are welcome at Barrett Leber Funeral Home, 148 Dean Drive, Tenafly, NJ from 4-8pm on Friday, January 24, 2025. A funeral mass is planned for 9:30 am on Saturday, January 25th at Mt. Carmel RC Church, 10 County Road, Tenafly, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Barry’s name to the Tenafly Police Department PBA #376, PO Box 376, Tenafly, NJ 07670.

Barrett L Buniva

January 18, 2025