It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden death of John Andrew Berlin, 34, who went to be with the Lord on the morning of December 20, 2025.
John was born on January 13, 1991. In Nashville, Tennessee to Courtney Bullaboy and Kevin Berlin. He later grew up in Portsmouth, VA before moving to Suffolk. He most recently lived in Chesapeake with his dog, Nugget.
John graduated from Portsmouth Christian School before attending TCC and working at Food Lion. He later transferred to Old Dominion University, where he graduated with a B.S in Computer Science in 2015 and a Master's degree in 2018. His academic accomplishments in the realm of computer science and engineering are too many to list, especially in web archiving. He was always willing to teach and help others at his job too (Tetratech).
All who were a part of John's life knew that music was a big component of who he was. He loved going to concerts with friends and family (especially in Richmond and Norfolk); adored and spoiled his dog "Nugget girl" who he adopted in May; collected vinyl records along with friends and his sister-in-law and her family; liked grilling and using his smoker; playing card games; video gaming; and defending the existence of Bigfoot and aliens.
He loved everything from rap and hip-hop to black metal. Some of his favorite bands were Cynic, Blvck Ceiling, Sybreed, Amenra, Napalm Death, Tool, Deftones, Iron Reagan, Meshuggah, CAS, Cult Leader, Agalloch, Primitive Man, Iron Lung, Sunn O))), and Gets Worse.
Some of the most cherished memories include just sitting in lawn chairs outside, smoking cigars while listening to music; sitting up in his room playing records while he worked and the occasional poker game; and going to concerts mainly in Portsmouth, and shady parts of Richmond and Norfolk.
It is difficult to describe how deeply John touched people's lives. With those close to him, he was caring, honest, determined, trustworthy, intelligent, kind, affectionate, generous, loving, fun, dependable, ready to help, supportive, and so much more. One of his favorite quotes was, "I'll say what I want, when I want, to who I want" and he lived life by that motto.
To say John will be missed is an understatement. His legacy will always be remembered and there will always be a void where he was in our lives. He was irreplaceable.
John is predeceased by his mother (Courtney Bullaboy) and beloved grandmother (Anna Bullaboy— "Nan"). He is survived by his beloved dog, Nugget, father, Kevin Berlin of Virginia Beach, brothers: Aaron Berlin (Rebecca) of Lynchburg and David Berlin (Lizzie) of Surry, nephew, Ezekiel ("Zeke"), grandfather, Charles Bullaboy of Suffolk, uncle, C. Allen Bullaboy, Jr. of Suffolk, his best friend, Joshua Raby (and his family), many other friends, and nephew-dogs Pearl and Bandit.
A graveside service will be held at Holly Lawn Cemetery (1525 N Main St, Suffolk, VA 23434) on Monday, 01/05/2026 at 11:00am. Anyone is welcome to attend and/or share a memory of John.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention here: https://supporting.afsp.org/general-donations/donate?utm_medium=cpc&gad_campaignid=22735946789&utm_campaign=REV_ED&gbraid=0AAAAADHnib9p4vEpnQGNl5dZOguHe0ots&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx8PKBhD1ARIsAKsmGbe9GbBK7cOmiFfpIZHUgYwrLzN5Z-zKDr7rHkBOgCQFiV3uenZ_EzgaAkgGEALw_wcB&utm_source=googlepaid
John was born on January 13, 1991. In Nashville, Tennessee to Courtney Bullaboy and Kevin Berlin. He later grew up in Portsmouth, VA before moving to Suffolk. He most recently lived in Chesapeake with his dog, Nugget.
John graduated from Portsmouth Christian School before attending TCC and working at Food Lion. He later transferred to Old Dominion University, where he graduated with a B.S in Computer Science in 2015 and a Master's degree in 2018. His academic accomplishments in the realm of computer science and engineering are too many to list, especially in web archiving. He was always willing to teach and help others at his job too (Tetratech).
All who were a part of John's life knew that music was a big component of who he was. He loved going to concerts with friends and family (especially in Richmond and Norfolk); adored and spoiled his dog "Nugget girl" who he adopted in May; collected vinyl records along with friends and his sister-in-law and her family; liked grilling and using his smoker; playing card games; video gaming; and defending the existence of Bigfoot and aliens.
He loved everything from rap and hip-hop to black metal. Some of his favorite bands were Cynic, Blvck Ceiling, Sybreed, Amenra, Napalm Death, Tool, Deftones, Iron Reagan, Meshuggah, CAS, Cult Leader, Agalloch, Primitive Man, Iron Lung, Sunn O))), and Gets Worse.
Some of the most cherished memories include just sitting in lawn chairs outside, smoking cigars while listening to music; sitting up in his room playing records while he worked and the occasional poker game; and going to concerts mainly in Portsmouth, and shady parts of Richmond and Norfolk.
It is difficult to describe how deeply John touched people's lives. With those close to him, he was caring, honest, determined, trustworthy, intelligent, kind, affectionate, generous, loving, fun, dependable, ready to help, supportive, and so much more. One of his favorite quotes was, "I'll say what I want, when I want, to who I want" and he lived life by that motto.
To say John will be missed is an understatement. His legacy will always be remembered and there will always be a void where he was in our lives. He was irreplaceable.
John is predeceased by his mother (Courtney Bullaboy) and beloved grandmother (Anna Bullaboy— "Nan"). He is survived by his beloved dog, Nugget, father, Kevin Berlin of Virginia Beach, brothers: Aaron Berlin (Rebecca) of Lynchburg and David Berlin (Lizzie) of Surry, nephew, Ezekiel ("Zeke"), grandfather, Charles Bullaboy of Suffolk, uncle, C. Allen Bullaboy, Jr. of Suffolk, his best friend, Joshua Raby (and his family), many other friends, and nephew-dogs Pearl and Bandit.
A graveside service will be held at Holly Lawn Cemetery (1525 N Main St, Suffolk, VA 23434) on Monday, 01/05/2026 at 11:00am. Anyone is welcome to attend and/or share a memory of John.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention here: https://supporting.afsp.org/general-donations/donate?utm_medium=cpc&gad_campaignid=22735946789&utm_campaign=REV_ED&gbraid=0AAAAADHnib9p4vEpnQGNl5dZOguHe0ots&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx8PKBhD1ARIsAKsmGbe9GbBK7cOmiFfpIZHUgYwrLzN5Z-zKDr7rHkBOgCQFiV3uenZ_EzgaAkgGEALw_wcB&utm_source=googlepaid
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