Alumna's charity ride ends in tragedy

Lee Anne Barry, a 1990 GVSU graduate, was killed in a crash as she was nearing the end of a cross-country bike tour to raise money and awareness for brain injury prevention.

Barry was struck by a car on a South Carolina highway on Oct. 21 during the final leg of a bike tour that began in Montana on Sept. 7. Barry stopped in Grand Rapids September 25 to give a presentation to Cathy Harro’s physical therapy class at the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences.

Barry was 5 when she was in a car accident and suffered severe brain trauma. She underwent successful brain surgery as a teenager and became an advocate for brain injury prevention. For four years, Barry and her husband, Ben, biked cross-country on a tour called the BIG Ride: Brain Injury’s Greatest Journey. As they picked up day bikers along the way, BIG riders educate schools, youth groups and church groups about helmet safety and brain injury prevention.