Barry H. Young, one of the first restaurateurs at The Mall in Columbia who later leased commercial real estate and was an accomplished shark hunter, died of respiratory failure July 10 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. The Columbia resident was 69.
He was born in Washington into a family of restaurateurs. His father, Paul Young, worked with his brother, David, at their Roumanian Inn and Paul Young's, which opened in 1960 on Connecticut Avenue.
Family members said Mr. Young often recalled the incident that secured a lasting reputation for his family's business. A woman named Mrs. Smith came in to book an event. The Mrs. Smith was Jean Kennedy Smith, who arrived with her sister, Eunice Shriver, to plan a party for the night of their brother John F. Kennedy's inauguration as president.
Mr. Young, who brought along his George Washington University fraternity brothers, worked the night of the party in the hat and coat room. Joseph P. Kennedy, the president's father, paid the bill as his party took over the Youngs' restaurant.
Mr. Young worked alongside his father and uncle at their Northwest Washington establishment, which became a business, lobbying and political rendezvous. He also met his future wife, Gayle McCubbin, at the restaurant. The couple married in 1971 after he had earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Michigan State University.
He and his wife moved to Columbia in 1971, and he established Barry's Restaurant in the mall there. "This was a pizza place and family restaurant. Residents have always said his thick-crust pizza was the best pizza in the history of Columbia," said his son, Jeremy Young, who lives in Columbia. "He loved magic and did shows there for charity, too. People called him the mayor of Columbia."
His son said his father developed his own pizza recipe after visiting dozens of competitors. He also outfitted his restaurant's walls with preserved tiger, mako, blue and other deep-water sharks he had caught.
Baltimore Sun outdoors columnist Lefty Kreh wrote in 1979: "I had breakfast with him the other morning. His dark eyes sparkled, and like a top winding up, he grew more excited as he talked about shark hunting and fishing. … I have met a lot of hyped-up fishermen, but none was more enthused than Barry."
The article noted that Mr. Young went out for sharks off Montauk, N.Y., and would spend days on boats, often staying up through the night to keep an eye on baited lines.
"Barry is an interesting man who really gets involved in a project. Several years ago, he began building ship models, and today he is an authority on the subject. He studies all his hobbies intently and has read everything he could find on sharks and fishing for them," the 1979 article said.
Mr. Young said of one of his fishing expeditions, "I can't describe what a beautiful sight it was. The big shark, a mako, came blasting out of the calm sea."
Mr. Young closed his restaurant after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. He went into real estate leasing and in 1986 joined the Washington-based Mills Corp. He became senior vice president of leasing and directed Sawgrass Mills in Florida and Gurnee Mills near Chicago.
A saxophonist, he played in the Metropolitan Police Boys Club and the Washington Boys Club bands and had a lifelong affection for jazz. He was a member of the Columbia chapter of the Society of American Magicians. He followed the Washington Redskins and old Washington Bullets.
He also sculpted wood and was the 1973 Maryland Racquetball champion.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Spear Center, 10275 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia.
In addition to his wife of 39 years and son, survivors include another son, Zak Young of Irvington, N.Y.; a daughter, Missy Lieber of Washington; a brother, Jeff Young of Los Angeles; a sister, Laurie Young of Arlington, Va.; and four grandchildren.