Clyde L. Berry

Clyde Laurence Berry, 91, passed away on January 16, 2025, in Longview, Texas after a long illness.
He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Mary Ann Berry; their three children, Sheila Satterwhite of Longview, Ken Berry (and spouse Kathy) of North Richland Hills, and Sonja Hooton (and Rick) of Gladewater; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his father Jewel Berry, mother Imogene Pentecost, brother Robert "Bob" Berry, stepfather Claude Halls Sr., and stepbrother Claude Hall Jr. (and Beverly).
He was born on April 13, 1933, in Fort Worth, Texas. His teenage years were in Austin, where he attended Stephen F. Austin High School. He served in the US Navy on the USS Gurke during the Korean War.
He married Mary Ann Hare on November 5, 1953. During the rest of that decade, they moved back and forth between Austin and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as he pursued better job opportunities to support their growing family. They moved to Longview in 1962 and have lived in the greater Longview area ever since, the last three decades in the country log home between Hallsville and Harleton.
After some years managing service stations, including one of the largest in the Southwest, he worked as a millwright for LeTourneau Technologies for five years and then for the Schlitz Brewing Company for ten years.
In 1978, realizing a long-held dream of operating his own business, he and Mary Ann opened Berry Family Pools, which is still in business and run by family members over 46 years later. For many of those years they had five stores, stretching from Longview to Tyler and Lufkin.
Clyde was an avid outdoorsman. His love of fishing took him to Lake O' the Pines, Lake Cherokee, Lake Fork, and the Gulf of Mexico. For four decades, into their 80's, he and Mary Ann spent weeks of deer season hunting and camping in the Texas Hill Country or closer to home near the Texas-Louisiana border. He often had a sizable garden and a coop full of chickens. Beekeeping was a favorite hobby, and even an additional source of income when he had over one hundred hives.
He will also be remembered for his good sense of humor, storytelling, practical jokes, surprises, and generosity.
Burial will be in Center Cemetery, Harleton, after a graveside service on Saturday, January 25, 2:00 PM.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Hallsville, Church of Christ, 110 Waldon Ferry Rd., Hallsville, TX 75650, or in his name to the charity of one's choice.