Security guard Richard Baran. www.ifpo.org
Amanda Oglesby and Alex N. Gecan , Asbury Park Press
LACEY – Richard Baran was the kind of retired police officer who, before his sudden death Saturday, would walk the hallways of Southern Regional and help children, a friend and former colleague recalls.
Baran, 77, of the Forked River section of Lacey was well known for helping children, "whose parents were sick, who had something happening at home, maybe somebody lost a job, or was using drugs and alcohol and the kid would be upset," recalled Bob Dolan, a retired student assistance counselor in Southern Regional School District who worked closely with Baran.
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Students and staff grieved at the news that Baran, who was a security officer at the school district for 22 years, died unexpectedly on Saturday morning. He was discovered behind the wheel of his car in the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway at 6:25 a.m., his foot still pressed to the brake pedal, state troopers said.
Dolan, 70, of Toms River was shocked to hear of Baran's passing.
“I was really sad to see what happened," he said. “I don’t think there’s anybody that didn’t like him... Even the kids who were difficult cases, who were angry or disrespectful, he just had an ability to calm kids down.”
