Barry L. Mendelsohn

Barry Loeb Mendelsohn, 80, of Charles Town, West Virginia, passed peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, July 5th, basking in the love of his family and friends.  Preceded in death by his parents Matthew and Esther (Jacobs) Mendelsohn, Barry had been in declining health after successfully beating cancer in 2019 and living a full and colorful life.

Barry was born in Washington DC on February 22, 1942.  He moved to San Francisco with his family in the 1950s and later attended Swarthmore, UC Berkeley and Stanford Medical School.  Marrying Jacqueline Zeller in 1965 and starting a family of his own, Barry enjoyed a long and illustrious career as a child psychiatrist, building successful practices in Anchorage, Alaska, and Chevy Chase, Maryland, and doing breakthrough work with Navajo children in New Mexico in his later years.  

Barry possessed an extraordinary tenor voice and was known by his friends as “The Singing Shrink.”  Performing in countless choirs and singing groups over the decades, Barry had prominent roles in several operas with the Anchorage Civic Light Opera and Washington Opera, including “Madame Butterfly,” “The Mikado” and “La Boheme.”  

In 2003, Barry married Nina Panagos, and together they migrated to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, south New Jersey and, finally, Charles Town, West Virginia, where Barry’s artistic palette expanded beyond music into painting, writing and jewelry-making.  

Barry is survived by his loving wife Nina; sons Aaron, of Los Angeles, CA, and Josh, of Annapolis, MD; step-son Sophocles, of Charles Town, WV, and step-daughter Nicole, of Massachusetts; brother Bob, of Kentfield, CA; grandchildren Juliana, Zora, Tessa and Laine; and several dozen nieces, nephews, cousins and step-siblings.  

Currently, Barry is receiving standing ovations and rave reviews for his portrayal of the Modern Major General in Heaven Light Opera’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance.”

Graveside service and Interment will be at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, July 12 at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 13801 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20906.  All those attending must gather no later than 1:45pm at the Cemetery Administration Building and remain in their cars for the procession to the grave site.