In Loving Memory of Barry Swen Severson

Barry Swen Severson, 59, peacefully passed away on April 15, 2024, at his home in Gilbert, AZ.

Born February 8, 1965, to Harold and Nylia Severson, he was the youngest of four siblings and grew up on a cattle ranch north of Wall, SD. He started his formal education in a one-room schoolhouse in Creighton, SD, graduated from Wall High School, and spent three and a half years at the University of South Dakota to earn a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and a Minor in Meteorology in 1986.

On December 21, 1991, he married his beloved wife, Adelaida (Velasco) Severson, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The two lived in multiple cities across Arizona, before finally settling down in Gilbert. In 1994, they founded Bushtex Inc., a global satellite communications company. Together, they worked passionately to build and grow their hometown company, one that has become a leader in the satellite industry.

Barry’s career took him across the globe. By plane, train, boat, bus, and other less conventional means, he traveled to every corner of the world. He worked in more than 120 countries throughout his career – some that don’t even exist in name anymore, and most times remotely, “in the bush” as their company name implies.

In 1987, he started driving and operating transportable uplinks for major events within the United States. Sporting events included: network PAC-10 football games; HBO championship boxing matches; Goodwill Games for Turner Broadcasting; CBS Super Bowl coverage; and Top Rank Boxing and Golf for ESPN. Others were news events, like the Democratic and Republican Conventions, along with the Presidential Elections for all networks; live coverage of events for CNN; and entertainment events like the Grateful Dead Concert for Pay-Per-View, and HBO Comic Relief.

In 1991, the Gulf War presented Barry the opportunity to take his knowledge internationally, and he signed on as a freelancer for CBS News in Amman, Jordan. This was the beginning of a very long trip.

Barry’s eight passports were stamped from places all over the globe, including India, Mozambique, South Africa, Haiti, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cuba and Afghanistan. During these travels, he was mainly in field operations handling logistics and engineering of both international and domestic satellite uplinks and downlinks through flyaway kits and mobile units, which eventually led him to be an innovative leader in the industry.

His work allowed him a front row seat to historical events and the opportunity to meet influential people all over the world. From Formula One Races in Australia, Malaysia, and Brazil, to civil unrest in former Bosnia-Herzgovina, Rwanda and former Zaire to UEFA Championship League Football in Bucharest, Romania, to a Larry King Live interview for CNN with the Dalai Lama at his residence in India to the first-ever live broadcast from the Titanic for the Discovery Channel, Severson saw it all. And these were just a sampling.

He built temporary satellite antennas for long-term events like the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the 2002 World Cup in Seoul, Korea and has supported every Winter and Summer Olympic Games since 1994. Innovation and hard work combined allowed Barry to find creative solutions in whatever he did, whether professionally or personally. Creative and dedicated, he never shied away from a challenge and worked tirelessly and courageously to broadcast significant events to global audiences. This led to building a successful and sustainable business with Adelaida, which evolved into supporting mission critical events for our nation’s warfighters and Federal government. The drive to build this business was fueled by his motivation to provide for his family.

However, more than all his globetrotting, Barry relished time spent hunting in the wilderness. He humbly appreciated nature and its great gifts, and he shared his love of the outdoors with his friends and family. A skilled hunter, Barry accomplished the rare feat of the Arizona Big 10, successfully harvesting all 10 big game species in the state and actually creating delicious cuisines from them all. On March 10, 2019, the Bowhunting in Arizona Record Book Committee awarded him the Biennial Award for the first place Mountain Lion trophy.

Barry was an honest and charismatic man. Although sometimes having a firm and staunch demeanor, he had a gentle and sentimental side for those he loved. Despite enduring war zones and a terminal illness, he remained strong, good-spirited and lighthearted. He was a dependable, loyal friend with a fun-loving presence, and he was a captivating storyteller. Barry was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in the fall of 2020. As with everything else in his life, he fought with vigor and optimism until his last breath. He will always be remembered as an honorable, respected, and noble individual.

Finally, Barry believed in being charitable and sharing the fruits of his labor by paying it forward and helping those in need. He and Adelaida co-chaired the Bishop’s Charity Development Appeal for the Diocese of Phoenix two years in a row, successfully raising funds that topped the previous years. Beneficiaries of this charity ranged from homeless Veterans, Catholic schools in need, the elderly and Native American children. Passionate about higher education with an international focus, Barry and Adelaida created Arizona State University Walter Cronkite Journalism School’s Global Initiatives, allowing students to study journalism and the media abroad. They gifted the University of Arizona’s School of Journalism with their first Broadcast/Podcast studios. And they started the International Media Studies fund at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism and Communications.

Barry is survived by his wife of 32 years, Adelaida (Velasco) Severson; his mother Nylia Severson of Rapid City, SD; siblings Steven (Cindy), Brenda (Wayne), and Clayton (Tammy) of Rapid City; children Lars, Brock, and Swen; and newborn grandson Cash, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father Harold Severson.