Emmanuel “Manny” Barris died peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family after a brief illness. He leaves his wife of 56 years, Florence (Economou); his sons, Michael E. Barris and his wife, Jennifer of Paxton, John E. Barris and his wife, Rania of Hopkinton, Chris E. Barris and his wife, Lia of Wayland, and his six grandchildren, Hannah, Nicholas, Chryssanthi, Manoli, Sofia, and Melina Barris. Emmanuel is predeceased by his parents Ioanna and Michaelis Batsarisakis of Crete. He was the oldest of three children and leaves his sisters Demetra Perakis of Worcester and Angeliki Kastrinakis of Athens.
Emmanuel was born on the island of Crete, Greece in 1936. He experienced the hardships of the German occupation of Crete during World War II and the subsequent Civil War. He emigrated to the United States in the early 1960’s to educate himself and pursue the “American Dream.” While living in Worcester, he met his best friend and beloved wife, Florence.
While in the United States, Emmanuel obtained a degree in electrical engineering. He spent nearly his entire career at Micro-Tech Manufacturing where he designed innovative battery technologies that took him on adventures around the world.
With a sense of humility, Emmanuel was proud of his six grandchildren and took immense pleasure spending time with them any chance he could. He loved vacationing in Greece each summer and loved remodeling his family home and taking care of the orange orchard.
In his later life, he enjoyed his daily exercise routines, organizing activities for the senior citizens of St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Community and participating in the Cathedral choir.
His funeral is Tuesday, June 29th with a service at 11:30 a.m. in St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Burial will follow in Hope Cemetery. Calling hours are Tuesday from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. in the Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 102 Russell Street, Worcester, MA 01609.