Barwick Death Ruled Apparently Natural

A Huntington Harbour woman who died at her husband’s side after a Caribbean shipwreck died of “apparent natural causes,” the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Wednesday.

The opinion in the case of Nancy Ann Barwick could deal a severe blow to lawsuits by her children alleging that her husband, Kenneth Barwick, was responsible for her death.

Nancy Ann Barwick’s body was exhumed last month by a court order sought by her three children.

“After an autopsy and extensive laboratory analysis, the death of Nancy Ann Barwick is of apparent natural causes,” said coroner’s spokesman C. Robert Dambacher. “There was no evidence of traumatic injuries sufficient to cause death, including strangulation, and no evidence of any toxic substances.”

In a probate case and a separate wrongful death lawsuit, the children have alleged that Kenneth Barwick, whom their mother married after the death of her first husband, was responsible for her death. The bulk of her estate, valued at $1.2 million, has been frozen as a result of the litigation.

None of the children--Mark, Tony or Paul Galyean--or Barwick’s mother, Marion Painter could be reached for comment. Their attorney, John Whelan, also was unavailable.

The coroner’s determination concluded a long struggle by Mrs. Barwick’s family to have an autopsy performed. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ricardo Torres last Aug. 29 had denied the family’s request to exhume the body, ruling that if family members thought that Barwick was responsible for his wife’s death, they should talk to police about their suspicions.

However, Torres reversed that decision on Dec. 28 and said the Los Angeles coroner could perform the autopsy even though the death occurred outside the county.

Nancy Barwick died Feb. 20, 1985, in Aruba after she, her husband and crew members of the steamship SS Vera fled in a lifeboat after the Vera began to capsize.

The lifeboat later overturned, but the Barwicks and crew swam to shore. Barwick told authorities that his wife died on the beach while the crew members were summoning help.

Despite claims by Nancy Barwick’s family that her husband was responsible for her death, Barwick maintained that he fought valiantly to save his wife. Aruban officials listed heart attack as the cause of death.

Says Estate Was Reason

Barwick, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, has consistently maintained that the family accused him of responsibility in the death to keep him from claiming his wife’s estate.

Barwick always maintained that an autopsy would prove him innocent, but he had contested exhumation of his wife’s body because he said he did not want her grave disturbed.

Nancy Barwick, 50 at the time of her death, married Barwick in Las Vegas in February, 1984, after a short romance. She had inherited most of her estate from her first husband, a doctor.

If Whelan, the family’s lawyer, continues his court battle against Barwick, he must show that Barwick killed his wife in order to defeat his claims on the estate. Whelan had unsuccessfully sought to have that case combined with a wrongful death lawsuit, which would require proof of extreme negligence by the husband in order for the children to win the case.