Gerald A. Berry

FUNERAL HOME

E. Alvin Small Funeral Homes & Crematory - Colonial Heights

2033 Boulevard

Colonial Heights, Virginia

Gerald Berry Obituary

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Gerald Adair Berry, 98, of Sutherland, died Monday, Sept. 22, 2008, at his residence.

He was the son of the late Rev. Thomas H. and Mary Ellen Cothran Berry; and was preceded in death by a son, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tommie Joseph Berry; and his brothers, Thomas Berry, Gervais Berry, Timothy Berry and Daniel Berry. Gerald was a member of the Boy Scouts of America, Heart of Virginia Council, the Colonial Heights Lions Club and Western Heights Baptist Church.

He is survived by his children, Jerry Lane Berry, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Gerald Juan Berry, Patricia LaFran Berry Kennedy, retired U.S. Army Col. Dr. Michael Adair Berry; grandchildren, Mark Lane Berry, Valerie Kay Berry Bender, Rebecca Lynn Berry Pachura, Carol Ann Berry Reeves, Jeffrey Crandall Berry, Dr. Michael Bernard Berry, Susan Patricia Berry Loden, Emma Francis Berry and Alexander Adair Berry; great-grandchildren, Ashley Payne Berry, Jessica Lane Berry, Katherine Renee Loden, Daniel Alexander Pachura, Thomas William Pachura, Christopher William Bender, Hidie Lynn Reeves Bland, Jason Ray Reeves and Timothy Michael Reeves; great-great-grandson, Madison Renee Bland.

A funeral service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, 2008, at Western Heights Baptist Church, 24416 Cox Road, Petersburg, with the Rev. Jonathan Dundalow officiating. Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., at 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, 2008. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, at the Colonial Heights Chapel of E. Alvin Small Funeral Homes & Crematory, 2033 Boulevard. Condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com.

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Published by The Progress-Index on Sep. 24, 2008.

Memories and Condolences
for Gerald Berry

4 Entries

GRACIE AND WALTER GREENHILL

September 24, 2008

There's lots of things
With which I'm blessed,
My problems have been few,
But of all, this one's the best:
To have a friend like you

In times of trouble
Friends will say,
"Just ask, I'll help you through it."
But you don't wait for me to ask,
You just get up and do it!

And I can think
of nothing more
That I could wisely do,
Than know a friend,
And be a friend,
And have a friend like you

September 24, 2008

I watched the flag pass by one day
It fluttered in the breeze
A young soldier saluted it, and then
He stood at ease

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many Pilots' planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No - Freedom isn't free

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives

I thought about a graveyard at the
Bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No - Freedom isn't free!

September 24, 2008

The wind's not always at our back,
The sky is not always blue.
Sometimes we crave the things we lack,
And don't know what to do.

Sometimes life's an uphill ride,
With mountains we must climb.
At times the river's deep and wide,
And crossing takes some time.

No one said that life is easy,
There are no guarantees.
So Trust in the Lord continually,
On calm or stormy seas.

The challenges we face today,
Prepares us for tomorrow.
For faith takes our fears away,
And peace replaces sorrow.

RUENETTE-NORMAN MACARTHUR

September 24, 2008

Which road will you travel my friend?
The road to Heaven is the one I recommend

The road to Hell is rife with destruction
But on it you will find no obstructions
The road to Heaven is straight and narrow
But it is a road which one must harrow

The road to Hell will entice you with seduction
It is easily found without any introduction
The road to Heaven must be painstakingly sought
It is a road over which many have fought

It's so easy to get on the wrong road
And burden yourself with a heavy load
You need something to guide you around the bends
As you travel these two roads with your fellowmen

There is a travel guide you can use
It was written for just me and you
The Holy Bible will help you plot your route
It is a book no traveler should be without