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SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - The Reverend Dr. Barry Joel Minsky, U. S. Army (Ret.), 68, of Savannah, Georgia, faithful and loving husband of Nancy Louise Cox Minsky, died and went to be with the Lord God Jehovah whom he had served all of his adult life on Monday morning, December 12, 2011 at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was a son of the late Allen Morton Minsky and the late Gertrude Rosenthal. The Lord saved Barry and called him to the ministry at age 19. The Reverend Bart Trowbridge gave Barry a New Testament, while Barry was a student at Temple UN. Barry read it in one weekend. He said “If this is the truth, I will dedicate my life to it.” Barry J. Minsky was faithful to God’s call in his life. Barry earned three masters and two doctorate degrees. He was a graduate of: Saint Joseph’s College, Reformed Episcopal Seminary, Luther Rice Seminary. Barry was a trained and experienced ordained minister. He was successful in developing programs to help youth and adults grow in their spiritual lives. Barry was a Bible expository preacher, and a radio Bible teacher. Above all, Barry was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Barry served as a home missionary. He was a pastor and a U.S. Army chaplain where he served as the primary preacher/teacher in three civilian churches and seven military congregations. He was endorsed by the Bible Fellowship Church.
There is a hymn that Barry loved very much, called “Here is Love vast as the ocean.” A Welshman, Huw Priday, sang the hymn, which came out of the 1904 Welsh Revival. To Barry, that hymn expresses the very essence of the gospel message. Dr. John MacArthur’s commentary on the book of Romans was a favorite of Barry’s. Barry said, “My Wife and my Lord make me smile every day.” He and his wife were incredibly close. Whenever he saw her, he would light up. She would tell him that she had the same reaction. They enjoyed one another but also the opportunity and privilege of being able to serve the Lord, to be involved in some kind of ministry. It makes all the difference in the world. God has given us a beautiful world and many blessings. But they just pale in comparison to the privilege that we have of sharing God’s Word with the people who are living around us. The one Bible verse that impressed Barry the most is the passage on Philippians, chapter 3, where Paul talks about giving up everything for Christ. He says, “I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering.” At first, all three of those statements sound rather strange. Paul did know Christ and knew Him well. He had the resurrection power within him; that of course is the power that takes the dead and brings them to life again – that’s what he did for us; we became alive in Jesus Christ. And he understood that suffering was given to him because he was faithful to his calling, just as the Lord Jesus suffered.
Surviving are his wife of 48 years, Nancy Cox Minsky of Savannah, Georgia; one daughter, Deborah Lynne Minsky Rossman and her husband, Charles, of Sierra Vista, Arizona; two sons, Paul David Minsky and his wife, Jeanne, of Newfield, New Jersey, Joel Mark Minsky and his wife, Sandy, of Williamston, South Carolina; eleven grandchildren, Rachel Feret and her husband, Ryan, David Minsky, Joy Minsky, Kristen Minsky, Emily Minsky, Sara Minsky, Jeff Wils, Matthew Rossman, Charity Rossman, Jesse Rossman and Rebekah Rossman, and one sister, Joan Minsky of Chicago, Illinois.
The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 o’clock Wednesday evening at Gamble Funeral Service – 410 Stephenson Avenue.
The funeral service will be held at 11 o’clock Thursday morning at Quacco Baptist Church – 215 Quacco Rd., conducted by The Reverend Dr. J. Steve Sells. Interment, with full military honors, will be at 2 o’clock in Beaufort National Cemetery.
Remembrances – Minsky Ministries (minskyministries.org) – Post Office Box 42118, Savannah, Georgia 31409-0118 or Gideon Memorial Bible Secretary – Post Office Box #14048, Savannah, Georgia 31416.
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