Charles Murch Berry III

1949 - 2019

SCARBOROUGH - Charles Murch Berry III died surrounded by loved ones on Sept. 29, 2019, in Scarborough, at age 70. He was born on Feb. 25, 1949, at Mercy Hospital in Portland. The son of Major Charles M. Berry Jr. USAAC and Ellen Cameron Berry, USN Women's Reserve (WAVES). As a child, he was a member of the Cumberland Congregational Church in Cumberland. He attended Cumberland schools, graduated Greely High School in 1967. Charles continued his education at what is now called SMCC with the Bricklayers Union which included a four-year indentured apprenticeship, eventually becoming a master mason. At the age of 14, Charles started flying with his father and a flight instructor at Port of Maine Airport, Scarborough, obtaining all his licenses by age 17. He was featured in a newspaper article on May 1, 1967, that listed him as one of only five people in the state to be a fully licensed pilot under age 18. Soon after, he and his best friend and high school classmate, Weston Beal attended the infamous 1967 World's Fair in Montreal, Canada.Marrying Amy Lou Beckwith in 1973, they had two sons, Matthew and Adam Berry, and owned a home in Buxton. He enjoyed skiing with his sons at many resorts in Maine and New Hampshire, his favorite being Bretton Woods Resort. Over the years, Charles took three memorable roundtrips driving through the Midwest, Canada, and Alaska to visit his younger brother George in Fairbanks. Later in life, he enjoyed taking vacations to Bar Harbor with his sons and his girlfriend, Linda Rossetti, whom he met in 1992 at the Maine Mall. He faithfully attended his grandson's baseball games, school plays, award ceremonies, birthday parties, and loved to take them out to eat. He was a loving and devoted father and grandfather.Charlie, as everyone called him, was a well know regular at the Dunkin' Donuts on Main Street in Westbrook, enjoying many friendships, including Walter Gorham, the Esposito brothers, Dick and Guido, Roland White, Jimmy Talbot, Julie Abbot, Alicia Fasulo, Ronald Bellefountaine, Madeline Richio, Paul Pettis, Peter Rochester, and the employees at Dunkin'. He loved to tell bad jokes, and sincerely cared about other human beings, accepting everyone for exactly how they were, and wasn't impressed by social class or fancy things. Most people who knew him, loved him, because he could talk to anyone, about anything, and he was genuine, accepting, and unembarrassed. He would strike up long and personal conversations with perfect strangers everywhere he went, much to the chagrin of his children, but to the benefit of the person he was conversing with. He was often seeing wearing a New York Yankees hat, which invited scorn around New England, to which he graciously replied, "I like a team that wins". He didn't actually watch baseball; it was another opportunity to converse with people he had yet to meet. Most would say he was a flirt. He literally had a twinkle in his eye.Charles owned Interior Masonry, working on many masonry projects both big and small, throughout the U.S. and overseas. Some of his project highlights include: construction of the Portland Sea Dogs 1993-1994, the American Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, the hospital on Saint John U.S. Virgin Islands, and Dartmouth College Berry Library wing, three years of stonework at Ed Richards estate in Standish, including house, screening walls, and fireplace. The full list of projects would span pages. Retiring from Bricklayers Local No. 3, Charlestown, Massachusetts, at age 57. His legacy will continue long after his death in the brick and stone that he laid. In retirement, Charles worked part time cleaning the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland and L.L. Bean Call Center. He lived in several towns in Maine over the course of his life, including Cumberland, South Portland, Buxton, Casco, ultimately ending up in Standish for the last 19 years.Survived by son, Adam Murch Berry, age 36, of Brunswick; son, Charles Matthew Berry, 38, his wife, Lauren Berry, grandsons Charles Gabriel Berry, 16, and Samuel Matthew Berry, 14, of Westbrook; brother, George Cameron Berry, 67, and his wife Sally Walker Berry, of Fairbanks, Alaska; longtime companion, Linda Rossetti and her family, of Standish.He will be buried alongside his parents. A simple graveside service will be held at Blanchard Cemetery in Falmouth on Sunday Oct. 20, 2019, at 1 p.m.