Maribea Miriam Berry

Maribea Berry died in the company of family on Thursday, January 29th, 2026 at her home in Redwood City, CA. She was 60 years old. A Celebration Of Life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto on February 21st at 11:00 a.m., with Rev. Peter Farriday officiating. Memorial donations can be made to UUCPA.org or the charity of one's choice.

Maribea Miriam Berry was born in Milwaukee, WI at 8:27 a.m. on July 11, 1965. She is the youngest sibling of three. Her parents Edward Ralph Dahms and Imogene Ann Ristau were both born & raised in Milwaukee, with extended family living in the greater Milwaukee area. Ed enlisted in the Air Force with the Bombardment Group during WWII and after returning from duty, he earned a BS in Business Administration from Marquette University. Imogene earned a BA in Journalism and a minor in Philosophy from Marquette University. Ed worked as Production Supervisor for PepsiCo, and Imogene worked part time in advertising management at a local furniture store. Maribea's early memories were of family gatherings on the holidays, and visits to her aunt and uncle's summer home in Belgium, WI,

The family relocated to Grand Blanc, MI in 1969 for her father's job with PepsiCo. Maribea completed her K-12 education in Grand Blanc, known for its high-performing school system. Her mother emphasized the wisdom in stretching to buy a house you can afford in the best school district, and that held true many years later when Maribea bought her Eichler home in Palo Alto. Her sister and brother left for college when Maribea was in grade school, and therefore she grew up feeling more like an only child. Many of her school friends were also the youngest in their families, born to parents later in life. She took lessons in piano and ballet/jazz/tap, and she created many needlework and embroidery pieces that she shared with family members. She enjoyed babysitting to earn money.

Maribea attended Michigan State University and graduated in 1988 with a BS in Applied Engineering with a minor in Telecommunications. She met her husband Timothy Berry at MSU, and immediately following graduation she flew west to CA to visit him at his new job and to seek employment and begin her career in Data Networking. She started as a Network Analyst at Vitalink Communications in 1988 and then transitioned to Cisco Systems in 1991 in a series of roles in Technical Support, earning a CCIE in 1994. She later advanced to Product Management roles in the broadband/cable router group. Then the 2000 tech stock market crash happened, 9/11 happened, and she decided to take an early retirement in 2002 to spend more time exploring video and film production. She returned to tech in 2006 in a series of program management roles at Citrix, Avaya, and Silver Spring Networks (now Itron). She earned her PMP Certification in 2015. Her career was cut short after receiving her stage IV cancer diagnosis in 2020, and since then she focused on pursuing treatments at Stanford and NIH to extend her life.

Tim and Maribea bought a house together in Moss Beach CA in 1992 after dating for 7 years. The foggy nights and mornings were a refreshing change from the dry sunny days working in Silicon Valley, and the sunny days on the coast with sparkling blue ocean were spectacular. They were married on April 3, 1993 at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve followed by a reception at their house just blocks from the park. Soon after, Elizabeth Aria Berry was born and then Katherine Ann Berry arrived 2-1/2 years later. They relocated to Palo Alto in 1997 in order to have a shorter commute between the kids' schools, their home, and their workplaces. She took pleasure in designing and caring for her garden in Palo Alto, and later in Redwood City. She used to joke that she was going to write a book titled "Gardening At Night", which she did frequently. Much of Maribea's free time was spent planning parties and vacations, executing home improvement projects, scheduling lessons and tutoring, volunteering with the girls' interests (such as leading Elizabeth's Girl Scout troop), and driving or biking to and from activities - anything to stay connected with them as they grew older. A guiding principle in raising her daughters was to support them while letting them develop and pursue their passions. She admired their strength and resilience in moving through and past major losses they each encountered at too young an age. Not said enough, she was proud of the women they have become. Maribea's biggest regret was leaving her daughters without a mother too soon.

Being geographically distant from the rest of their families in the Midwest, Maribea and Tim created their own California Berry traditions of visiting Disneyland at Christmas followed by a trip to see Tim's parents while they wintered in Green Valley, AZ. Maribea planned camping trips to state and national parks in their VW Vanagon during many school holiday weekends and breaks (Yellowstone was her favorite!), and the girls continue to enjoy camping as adults. Elizabeth graduated from Gunn High School in 2011 and Katherine in 2014. Both pursued a college education, although they each returned home to live for periods during and after earning their degrees. The Empty Nest proved elusive.

Maribea was baptized at the United Methodist Church in Grand Blanc and stayed active through 12th grade. She and Tim joined UUCPA in 1999, attracted by the rainbow flag and close proximity to their home. She quickly found personal connections and a spiritual community for her children. Both Elizabeth and Katherine went through the CRE program, OWL, Coming of Age, and SHYG at UUCPA and have explored UU churches where they live now. Maribea has formed long term friendships since joining UUCPA, especially her Women's Group. Other roles she has had are OWL facilitator and teacher, Round Robin Meals with Kids organizer, CRE committee member, Worship Committee member, Aesthetics Committee member, Stewardship Committee member, sound technician and AV Committee Chair (prior to Worship Tech).

A fervent patron of the arts, Maribea enjoyed the SF Symphony, the Banff Film Festival, Cirque du Soleil, the Clay & Glass Festival, concerts at the Mountain Winery, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, touring comics, animated movies, and guided tours throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Maribea was highly expressive with feedback, so any surveys from these experiences were sure to be filled out and returned expeditiously. Her taste in comic strips always gave insight into the humor and wit she employed while moving through both life's mundanities and hardships. Her curious and adventurous nature led Maribea to take up sailing lessons, bridge classes, adult tap dancing classes, meditation, and chicken husbandry later in her life. Maribea will be forever remembered by her community for her extraordinary energy, tenacious spirit, and penchant for festivity. She possessed a drive and will to live far past anyone's expectations.

Survivors: Maribea is survived by her husband Tim Berry, her amazing daughters Elizabeth and Katherine Berry, her sister Deborah Dahms from Seaside CA, her brother Guy Dahms in Albuquerque NM, and her five watchful hens Sizzle, Skiddle, Red, Mo and Pretty Girl. She also leaves behind brother-in-law Patrick E. Berry and wife Tammi Berry of Peoria IL, brother-in-law Robert W. Berry and wife Judy Farmer of Canton MI, brother-in-law Stephen C. Berry and wife Denise Berry of Jackson MI.