A small memorial in honor of Mary Barrett, a Plymouth woman killed last week. A candlelight vigil was held in her memory at Faith Baptist Church on Sunday night.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
Mary Barrett remembered by community leaders, family, friends
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Plymouth Mayor Frank Coughlin speaks at Sunday’s vigil for Mary Barrett. Barrett worked in the municipal building as borough secretary.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
A look at the crowd of friends and family members that came out to honor Mary Barrett on Sunday night.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
PLYMOUTH — Members of the community gathered on Sunday night to mourn the loss of a friend, a family member, a colleague and a treasured part of the Plymouth family.
A candlelight vigil was held outside the Faith Baptist Church to honor the memory of Mary Barrett, a 43-year-old Plymouth resident who was killed last week. Her husband, Daniel Barrett, is facing criminal homicide charges after admitting that he had killed his wife in a fit of jealousy, according to police.
Close to 50 people showed up to the church to pay their respects and share memories of Barrett, while even more people watched at home via Facebook.
“She was such a kind and caring soul,” said Plymouth Borough Councilman Adam Morehart, who helped to organize the vigil. “She was always the first to want to give back to the community.”
A number of borough officials, including councilmen Alec Ryncavage and William Dixon as well as Mayor Frank Coughlin, stepped to the front of the crowd to offer remarks and share memories of Barrett, who worked as the borough secretary for roughly a year.
“She took to the job so easily,” Coughlin said. “I know she’s looking down on us.”
Coughlin also shared a text from Barrett sent in December, wishing him well after he tested positive for COVID-19.
When the mayor was finished speaking, Morehart invited anyone from the crowd with memories of Barrett to come up and share them.
From there, person after person stepped up to share their love of Barrett, making it abundantly clear just how loved she was by the community.
The crowd of well-wishers ranged from family members (Barrett’s parents were in attendance, as were her two daughters Deanna and Stephanie Atkinson), to friends who served with Barrett in the U.S. Air Force, to her colleagues from the Plymouth VFW, where she made history as the first female vice commander in the post’s history.
“I almost didn’t want to tell her about that, in case it might scare her,” said Post Commander Bob Palchanis. “But she was so wonderful at the job, and always smiling.”
Barrett’s smile was a constant theme: Just about everyone could speak to the fact that she had a constant smile on her face, and was always more than happy to help the community, whether through her work as borough secretary or as a part of Plymouth Alive.
“Every success we had as a community, Mary was a big part of that,” Ryncavage said. “She shared in all of our successes.”
“She immediately gravitated toward our community. … She wanted to make a difference,” said Janet Dixon, who also read a statement from Barrett’s sister, Karen Mercer, thanking everyone for attending and honoring Barrett.
When all the memories had been shared, the vigil concluded with a Bible passage read by Alexis Eroh, a rendition of “Amazing Grace” led by pastor Bryan Dodson and the playing of “Taps.”
It was a poignant tribute to someone that had made such a massive impact on Plymouth in a relatively short span of time.
While the loss of Barrett is tremendous, a message reflected through many of the speakers was that Barrett wasn’t really gone, as long as she was remembered.
“When you look up to the sky at night, you find that bright star and that’s Mary,” Morehart said, addressing Barrett’s daughters. “She’s always going to be there for you.”