The funeral arrangements for Marion Christopher Barry ended Monday night with hundreds of family, friends and well-wishers.
Barry, the son of late D.C. Mayor and Councilmember Marion Barry, died Sunday morning after a drug overdose, family members told News4's Tom Sherwood. He was 36 years old.
A private memorial service for family and close friends was held Sunday. On Monday evening, Barry lay in repose at the Temple of Praise at 700 Southern Avenue, Southeast.
A public funeral service followed at 7 p.m.
A statement from Barry's grandmother, Polly Lee Harris, recalled Christopher Barry as "a community activist, and devoted to strengthening and improving the quality of life for those who were economically challenged."
The former mayor always hoped his son would follow in his political footsteps, but NBC4's Tom Sherwood said Christopher Barry never seemed to warm up to the public spotlight like his father. Christopher Barry's bid for a Ward 8 seat, running as Marion C. Barry, fell short in 2015; he came in sixth place.
Although the younger Barry had some personal struggles and scrapes with the law, some said he was always fighting for his community.
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"Through him I saw strength, I saw vulnerability," said a man who attended a vigil in Barry's memory earlier this week. "I saw the type of heart that creates a community."
