Burrel Yale Wainer, 80, of Galesburg passed away December 31, 2021 in his home.
Barry was born December 9, 1941 in Galesburg, the son of David I. Wainer and Kathryn Wainer Leibowitz. He was preceded in death by both his parents. He is survived by two daughters including Hilary Donnelly (Ben) and two grandchildren, Elijah and Kathryn of Atlanta, Georgia.
Raised in Galesburg, Illinois, Barry graduated from Galesburg High School in 1959. He married Margaret Hicks in Las Vegas on June 25, 1964 prior to being drafted into the US Army. He was CEO of Knox Wrecking and Moving Company between 1963-1986.
Barry was passionate about anything with wheels, specifically classic cars. He collected corvettes in his young adult life, and served as the President of the Galesburg Corvette Club in the early eighties. In his later years, he collected, traded and sold die cast cars. He was also a tireless volunteer for the Railroad Days Train and Toy show for over 20 years, serving as the show’s Director the past several years. Barry was a true son of Galesburg, proud of its history, always eager to share it with others. In addition, he volunteered for many events and organizations throughout his life to help preserve the community and make it a better place. He had a kind soul, never met a stranger and was always willing to help others.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, no visitation will be held at this time. A small, private service will be held at Watson-Thomas Funeral Home for the family, Wednesday, January 5, 2022, and will also be live-streamed at 1pm at www.watsonthomas.com. Graveside Services open to all friends and family will follow at East Linwood Cemetery at 2pm. Instead, his daughters look forward to hosting a celebration of life Railroad Days weekend. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Class of 1959 Memorial Scholarship which may be directed to the Galesburg Public School Foundation at the following link: https://www.gburgpsf.org/donate.html. Online expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.watsonthomas.com.
