Obituary of David Barry Kern

Our beloved David was taken unexpectedly by a massive heart attack. Our hearts are broken into a million pieces as we mourn the loss of someone who was one of the most loving, generous, selfless, sensitive, funny, thoughtful, and caring people you might ever meet. David was a humanitarian at heart and was passionate about doing anything he could to put more good into the world and to help anyone who needed it. He was the rock of our family. We miss him so deeply and are so lucky to have loved and been loved by him. A devoted and supportive husband and dad, David coached son Rhys in soccer, basketball, baseball, football, and Lego Robotics teams, and was a mentor to Rhys and many of his friends. He loved working with the kids, and they loved being at our house when he made his famous Sunday pancake breakfasts.

David was a unique mix of several kinds of people in one body -- athlete, coach, intellectual, tech guru, humanitarian, cook and baker, handyman, tinkerer, and artist. He graduated from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration; University of Chicago with a Master of Arts in Humanities; and studied at Boston University with an A.B.D. in Philosophy. He also had a Junior Visiting Fellowship at The Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna, Austria.

Working as a photographer, David traveled the world, starting in Paris early in his career, collaborating and building a portfolio with other artists in Milan, traveling with Catholic Relief Services to Somalia to document the famine and war, working in the fashion industry in NYC, and spending extended time in India and Thailand photographing the stunning beauty of both countries. He later also became a self-taught website developer and designer and co-founded a marketing communications business with his wife.

David was as comfortable on the football field as he was in the kitchen and his pancakes, cookies, Thai noodles, Indian curries, and baked treats were legendary. He also learned to make sourdough bread during the pandemic and many friends said his breads rivaled those made by Paris-trained pastry chefs. David was meticulous with everything that he did, and he did those things so well. He was especially close to his family – a loving husband and dad, son, brother, uncle, nephew, and friend to so many. David is survived by wife Pam, son Rhys, parents Janice Kern and Jim (Polly) Kern, sister Tanya Schaeffer, brother Brad Kern, nieces Alexia Schey and Jessica Alstead, nephew Joshua Niel, and many cousins, aunts, and uncles.

A celebration of life will be held in the summer when people can safely gather. Those who have lost loved ones say that what helped them move forward and heal from immense grief was to live with purpose and do positive things in life to honor their loved ones’ memory. Please consider doing a random act of beauty and kindness today in David’s honor, any gesture big or small to bring happiness to someone.