EVERETT — Barry Sarles, the father of Everett adult recreational hockey and a patron to local youth hockey players, will be remembered Sunday in a public memorial service at the Everett Yacht Club. Sarles passed away following a battle with cancer on July 11. He was 62.
Sarles, the owner of the Everett-based Ark Insurance Agency and a local real estate investor, founded the first adult recreational hockey league in Everett, creating the Everett Adult Hockey League in 2004 shortly after the opening of the Everett Events Center’s community ice rink. The Everett Adult Hockey League began with six teams and grew to the point where it merged with the Cascade Hockey League. The Cascade Hockey League currently contains 16 teams and plays at both the Comcast Community Ice Rink and the Lynnwood Ice Center.
Laurence Tomsic, Sarles’ longtime friend who ran one of the Everett Adult Hockey League’s original six teams, credits Sarles for making adult rec hockey in Everett a reality.
“He was the most important figure (in the local adult recreational hockey community),” Tomsic said. “When the league opened with six teams, he basically financially backed the entire league. It was really an amazing thing.
“If it wasn’t for Barry, adult hockey would not be the same in the north end.”
Sarles was also known for his support of local youth hockey players. Ryno Linder was one of those players. When Linder was playing junior hockey around the state, then moved on to play collegiately at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, he would return to the area during the summers and stay sharp by playing in a men’s leagues. Sarles anonymously paid Linder’s league fees, which ranged from $400-600.
“He was a humble and nice man, and I had no idea he was paying for me,” said Linder, who was inspired to found Seattle Youth Hockey Assist, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance for youth hockey players in need. “He had a huge passion for hockey and for helping those who need it, and he did it without asking anything in return.”
Sunday’s memorial service begins at 1 p.m.
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