Jean Qureshi (Barry)

Jean B. Qureshi of Colleyville, TX finally decided that her husband Usman, deceased in 2012, had gone long enough without supervision and joined him in heaven on March 7th, 2021 to keep him out of trouble. Born in April 1930 in Harris County, TX to Elmer and Rose Barry, she was a true child of The Depression who never threw anything away that might potentially be reused sometime in the next century or two.

Raised in Baytown, TX with two brothers and two sisters, she did what any local oil patch girl would do and started her secretarial career at Humble Oil, later acquired by Exxon. In 1965 she married a PhD student at the University of Houston, Usman A. Qureshi, and a few years later they relocated to Norfolk, VA where he took a position at Old Dominion University.

Their loving daughter Chandra came along in 1971, in 1978 they bought their dream waterfront house on Flicker Point, and Jean continued her secretarial career at C.E. Thurston and Sons in Norfolk. Over the years, Jean and Usman were very active in the Old Dominion community where Jean was famous for her faculty parties and "Trish's cake" (I think there are still 20 copies of that recipe in her room). They were also very active in the Virginia Bonsai Society and kept many bonsai in their sunroom. A lot of bonsai, see below.

In 2004, Chandra married a Navy man and left for California, then Charlottesville. In 2009, Jean, Usman, their cat Samantha and a cargo trailer full of bonsai plants relocated to the Dallas TX area along with Chandra and Gregg. After Usman passed away in 2012, Jean and Samantha moved in with Chandra and Gregg where she could get Gregg's grilled steak on demand. Samantha crossed the bridge in 2016 while Jean spent her final years accompanying Chandra on photography trips and zoo outings.

While Jean gets to start yelling at Usie again, she will be sorely missed by Chandra and Gregg, along with her sister Joan, her nieces Penny and Candy, and numerous great- and great-great-nieces and nephews. She will be buried alongside Usman in Abbeville, SC at a date to be determined.

Jean loved plants, but Chandra and Gregg have plenty. If you thought about sending flowers, please instead donate to The Usman A. Qureshi, Ph.D. & Jean Barry Qureshi Merit Scholarship for Women in Economics at Old Dominion University. Please contact Barb Henley at the ODU Educational Foundation (www.odufoundation.com) for donation information.