John "Ray" Barmby

John Raymond “Ray” Barmby, of Olathe, Kansas, born December 23, 1934, peacefully passed away in hospice care in Kansas City, Missouri on March 20, 2026 at 91 years old.

Born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, Ray spent his childhood in Hull and nearby Withernsea with his parents, William Arnold Barmby and Patricia Pooley Barmby, and his brother, Terry Barmby. As a young boy, he lived through German air bombings upon his neighborhood and endured strict rations during WWII.

After graduating from secondary (high) school in 1952, Ray followed his dream to immigrate to the United States, temporarily staying with an aunt who lived on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza. In furtherance of his goal of becoming a U.S. citizen and his love for America, Ray enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1953 and completed his basic training at Brooks AFB in San Antonio, Texas. After completing basic training, Ray traveled back to England to ask his high school sweetheart, Neena Hodgson Randall, to marry him. They were married in 1954 in the Church of England. They returned to the United States and Ray was stationed at Homestead AFB in Miami Dade County, Florida and Biggs AFB in El Paso, Texas, Ray was a clerk and a self-described “very popular man” as he managed the payroll books and distributed slips for commissary provisions to his fellow servicemen. Upon honorary discharge in 1957, Ray proudly became a naturalized citizen and used his G.I. Bill funds to enroll in Kansas City College (now University of Missouri at Kansas City) and graduated in 1961 with a bachelor degree in business administration. Ray and Neena had two daughters, Belinda and Amanda, and made their home in Johnson County, Kansas.

Ray became an investment banker with George K. Baum & Co., specializing in corporate and municipal financing. He helped businesses finance expansions and develop rural housing and infrastructure throughout Kansas through industrial revenue bonds, certificates of participation, tax increment financing, and Rural Housing Incentive District bonds. Ray served on the Board of Directors of the former Franklin Savings & Loan. Ray also worked for Chapman Securities and then his own company, Economic Development Funding, pitching and conducting bond deals up until 89 years of age.

Ray later married Sherri Harvath Barmby and with their daughter, Angela, and his step-son, Troy, built their home in Olathe, Kansas.

Public service was very important to Ray, who became Olathe’s first elected Mayor in 1987. He also served a four-year term as an Olathe Council Member-at-Large from 1993-1997. He loved Olathe and its people and served on the Finance and Taxation Cmte. of the League of Kansas Municipalities and as Chairman of Olathe’s Public Building Commission. Volunteerism was near and dear to Ray’s heart and he held board positions in the Girl Scouts of America and the National Sheriffs’ Ass’n, and gave his time and treasures to Olathe Community Theatre Ass’n (OCTA).

Ray’s commitment and service to the economic development of Kansas, wasn’t something Ray did, it was who he was. Throughout the 1980s, Ray was very active in the Kansas Cavalry, a service organization under the Kansas Dept. of Commerce comprised of dues paying members who dedicate their time and resources traveling across the United States, Europe, and other locations to foster and safeguard the economic growth of the State of Kansas and recruiting business executives to build their businesses in Kansas. Ray served a term as the Commanding General and many years as an Ambassador Corps Member.

Continuing his lifelong calling into public service and the growing of Kansas’s economy, Ray served as: the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kansas City, Kansas Area Chamber of Commerce; member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Chairman of Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Council; charter member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Industrial Developers Ass’n; Chairman of the Economic Development Council of Olathe, Kansas Area Chamber of Commerce; member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Ass’n (AOPA); member of Olathe Rotary; and, Chairman of the Board Johnson County Economic Research Institute.

Ray then married Joyce Ewing Barmby. Ray and Joyce blended their families, owned and operated a tearoom, antique store, and bed & breakfast in Atchison, Kansas, and traveled extensively together until Joyce’s recent passing on February 24, 2026.

Ray was an ever-positive and always optimistic man who never ceased to have a smile and warm greeting for everyone he encountered. He had such a keen sense of humor and loved to: spend time with his family; tell or hear a good joke; restore and showcase Corvettes; play the bongo drums; watch Willy Wonka, Patton, Warner Bros. cartoons, and M*A*S*H; puff on a cigar; dance to the Doobie Brothers or Eurythmics; visit the Country Club Plaza; attend the horse races; support live jazz musicians; enjoy coffee on his patio; raise the American flag and present the colors on his front yard flag pole; enjoy a Kentucky bourbon cocktail; and, wear stylish clothes. Ray was a recreational pilot who enjoyed flying his family to Sunday brunch in the Ozarks, to Florida for spring break, or taking up the neighborhood kids in his plane so they could pick out their houses from the air. He was thrilled to briefly pilot a small private plane again at 88 years old.

Ray is survived by his beloved daughters: Belinda Hopkins (Robyn) of Oxford, MS, Amanda Brauer (Aaron) of Bentonville, AR, and Angela Bullock (Craig) of Spring, TX; and his devoted step-son, Troy Woudstra (Brenda) of Manhattan, KS. Ray adored his grandchildren: Bobby Hawn (Sarah), Rachel Palmer (Kirkwood), Preston Hawn, Daniel Bullock, Alyssa Bullock, Aiden Greenberg, and Dylan Bullock; treasured great-grandchildren: Karter Hawn, Emory Hawn, and Bess Palmer; several nieces and nephews, including Gavin Barmby, and Heather Robinson, and their families, as well as his sister-in-law Sonia Barmby Johnson.

Ray loved spending time with Joyce’s children: Sherri Hunter (David), David Knauss (Stacey), and Ann-Janette Griffin (Brent), and their families. Ray’s daughters wish to extend special gratitude to the caring staff at Kansas City Hospice Home.

He was predeceased in death by his dear wife Joyce Barmby; father William Arnold Barmby; mother Patricia Pooley Barmby; brother Terrence “Terry” Barmby; and, sister Jacqueline Chaplin.

Please join family and friends for a celebration of Ray’s life, sharing of memories, and toasts to Ray on Saturday, May 2, 2026, 2:00pm to 5:00pm at Bristol Seafood Grill, 5400 W. 119th Street, Leawood, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in J. Ray Barmby’s name to Make-a-Pilot Aviation Scholarships that inspires and supports the next generation of pilots at: make-a-pilot.org/donations.