Valerie Lynn Barrie

Valerie Lynn Barrie, 60, of Cleveland, MN, passed away on April 7, 2026, her children and husband at her bedside. Val is survived by her husband Wayne Barrie, mother Gloria Villa, brothers Art and Tim, children Corey Boe (Andrea), Chelsea Boe, Dustin Boe (Isabel), Malachi Barrie, Chandler Barrie (Paije), and grandchildren Sorren, Dane, Sullivan, and Olive.

Val was born in Wellsville, New York on September 21, 1965. She went to Alfred-Almond Central School and after graduating early attended Alfred State College in NY. She grew up in a farmhouse, surrounded in her childhood by many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins. She loved to read and write romance stories, and dreamed of living her own and becoming a mother.

After school she lived in Virginia and discovered her love of the ocean and collecting seashells. Her children Corey and Chelsea were born in Minnesota, and Dustin in New York. Val described the feeling of becoming a mother as an overwhelming abundance of love. She met Wayne in 2001, they fell in love and Val and her children joined Wayne and his sons, Malachi and Chandler in Cleveland, MN. They married on June 7, 2003, and her house and heart remained ever full.

Val raised her children to get good grades, and encouraged them to never settle for anything short of their own happiness. She pushed them to follow their dreams and was always their number-one supporter at events for sports, dance, and theatre. Her home held plenty of humor, banter, and love. Val strived to make holidays special for her kids, and took them on plenty of adventures, giving them childhoods which they recall on with joy at this time.

Val found her calling when she joined Habitat for Humanity, and formed many friendships there. She loved to travel with Wayne. They visited places that held importance to her, including Graceland and the real-life locations of Little House on the Prairie. They shelled along the beaches of Florida, and visited so many zoos to see the giraffe, her favorite animal.

In some folklore, the giraffe symbolizes balance and vision, and the ability to overcome obstacles in reaching our goals. Val showed this throughout her life, fighting to give her family more than she had, and enduring sickness in order to love them longer. She’ll forever be in our hearts and spirit.