Barry Becker Jr. dies of aneurism

Barry Becker Jr., whose family developed the Charleston Heights area of Las Vegas in the 1950s, died Tuesday at age 38 from an aneurism.

A 1988 graduate of Bishop Gorman High School, Becker majored in fine arts at Arizona State University, returning to Las Vegas to follow the career path of his father, Barry Sr., in land investment and development at Becker Realty Corp.

The company manages holdings of about $400 million in Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah.

Barry Becker Jr., or "New B," as he was known to family and friends, was an honest businessman who had a way of making everybody feel like his friend, cousin Matt Becker told the Review-Journal.

"What made him unique as a businessman was his honesty. He was very kind, and there was nothing fake about him," he said. "In business, if he found somebody or something he believed in, he pursued it. He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."

Barry Becker Jr. was born June 11, 1970, in Burbank, Calif. He is survived by his pregnant wife, Shannon; mother and father, Sue and Barry; and brothers Danny and Randy.

"New B was a great listener and a great learner, in that sense," Matt Becker said. "Our grandfather said you should think of every positive reason to do something and do it. Once you think of one negative, you won't."

Barry Becker's grandfather, Ernest Becker, came to Las Vegas in 1952 on a tip that Howard Hughes was going to relocate Hughes Aircraft from Los Angeles to the west side of the Las Vegas Valley.

He bought 250 acres around Alta Drive and Decatur Boulevard and built 1,400 homes, the largest residential development in Las Vegas at the time.

Though Hughes never moved his operations to Las Vegas, Ernest Becker expanded to the west side of the valley throughout the 1960s and '70s as housing demand exploded.

He began to develop and sell lots to home builders in the 1980s and developed and managed shopping centers and apartment complexes around Decatur Boulevard.

In 1974, the family established a slot-route company, Sunset Coin, to service their own slot machines and entered the gaming business.

One of Ernest's sons, Bruce, took the business to the next level when he built a casino onto a bowling alley and opened Arizona Charlie's in 1988. The casino was sold in 1998. Today, Becker Gaming owns and operates several bars and restaurants in Las Vegas under the Charlie's and Becker's name.

Visitation is scheduled for Sunday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Palm Mortuary, 7400 W. Cheyenne Ave. Memorial services will be held Monday, 1:30 p.m.. at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church, 3046 Alta Drive.