Born December 31, 1946, to Marjorie Peterson Pitt and Wallace Pitt in Coalville, Utah, Barry Pitt passed away on April 18, 2018, due to complications from diabetes.

A resident of Burton for more than 30 years, Barry loved his refuge and never-ending project home, which he happily shared with the local ducks and various wild birds, which gave him great enjoyment.

Barry was a gifted and very creative wood artist. He loved creating beautiful and useful items out of all kinds of wood. While in college Barry experimented with wooden sculptures. Then when he had his first children, he began creating wooden toys. He created items out of scrap wood and sold them at arts fairs, and toy stores throughout Utah and the Pacific NW. In 1980 he moved to the Seattle area and shortly after began working at the Pike Place Market as a craftsman in the daystalls selling his wood creations as the “Market Toymaker.” He later began to design wooden jewelry, which fueled his passion for working with exotic woods. After a while, he transitioned into his final niche as the “Market Penmaker,” creating beautiful hand-turned wooden pens of all types and styles. He found great joy in turning a piece of wood into a functional and useful item in a way that allowed one to see the beauty inherent in that piece of wood. He was full of excitement every time he created a new and unique design for his hand-turned pens. Barry did not enjoy the cold and damp weather of the Pacific NW winters, and each winter he would find a way to travel to a warm and sunny location, often to visit his cousin Diane and family in California. He would return to Vashon every spring full of enthusiasm and excitement to develop new creations out of his most recent treasures that he carefully hand picked and purchased from his “wood brothers.” He enjoyed talking to people, especially about his creations, which made him a natural and renowned salesman. He was able to continue as a daystall craftsman at the Pike Place Market with the help of his very best friend and business partner Lori Brankey for more than 37 years.

Barry was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Nancy Pitt. He is survived by his brother Robert Pitt, and 5 children; Amber Jackson (Rick), Joshua Pitt (Kimberly), Timothy Pitt (Aimee), Aaron Pitt, and Christopher Pitt (Michelle), and 8 grandchildren.

Barry surrounded himself with many good friends who miss him dearly. He was very grateful for their friendship and assistance over the years. Thank you to Michael and Tim and so many others! You allowed him to live his life on his terms, the only way he wanted it.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, June 24th at 2:00pm at the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust building.