WILLIAM BERRY

BERRY WILLIAM LIVINGSTON BERRY Bill Berry, age 83, passed away on December 14, 2016. Bill is survived by his loving life partner Patricia Kalinsky; his beloved children, Kim Snow and Mark Berry, and their mother, Carole Berry; his dear granddaughter, Stacia Jones; his dear brother, Max N. Berry; Pat's beloved daughter, Leanne Kalinsky. He will be deeply missed by Sable and Mew Mew, (his spoiled cats); and his "best friend," as Bill often stated, and most amazing dog, "Lil Dudes". Born January 27, 1933, in Cushing, Oklahoma, to Aaron and Belle Berry, Bill was raised most of his life in Tulsa, along with his brother Max, with whom he has remained close throughout his life. Bill graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in business management. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a jet bomber pilot in the Strategic Air Command. Following his time in the service, Bill and his family moved to Tyler, Texas, where he pursued a successful career in the oil business, following in his father's footsteps and others in the Berry family, which he has maintained to a lesser degree to this date. Bill moved his family to Silver Spring, Maryland, as he began his transition into a career as a builder-developer in the home building industry. Bill worked his way up from an entry-level position with a prominent homebuilder in the Washington Metropolitan area to a vice presidency. In 1973 he started The William L. Berry and Company, or The Berry Companies, which became an award-winning leader in the industry. Having achieved 42 design awards, Bill's company has been recognized for its design excellence and achievements as a major regional homebuilder. One of Bill's most recognized quotes, out of many, in terms of representing what his company stood for was, "We cannot truly be proud of our accomplishments unless they are a credit to our purchasers, our industry, and the communities in which we do business." The Berry Company was based on personal integrity and customer service, which was obvious to all who knew Bill, as his company was truly a reflection of the man he was. Bill was a man who truly exemplified greatness, compassion, caring and quality, which all who were fortunate enough to know him, either professionally or personally, can attest to. In addition to Bill's outstanding achievements in his company, he served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Home Builders and the State of Virginia Home Builders Association. He was President of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association and a life member of its Board. In both 1984 and 1985, Bill received this Association's Man of the Year Award. Bill was the first recipient of the Emil Keen Award given in recognition of outstanding service in the industry. He served as President and on the Board of Directors for HomeAid, an organization which builds housing for the homeless and shelters for abused women and children. He was the recipient of a Special Lifetime Achievement Award by the greater Washington Metropolitan area Home Builders associations. Bill was also a member of the Suburban Maryland Building Industry Association and received its Homeowners Warranty Builder of the Year Award for excellence in construction. He also received their Milton E. Kettler Award for many years of dedicated service to the industry and community. Not only was Bill an outstanding and respected industry leader in his field, but he was equally humanitarian in other efforts as well, such as being an active proponent of affordable housing and founder of AHOME (Affordable Housing Opportunity Means Everyone), a coalition committed to making housing affordable in Northern Virginia. In 2006 AHOME created a Lifetime Achievement Award to honor his many years of working for more affordable homes in Northern Virginia. He also served for many years on the Board of Directors of Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice (LAWS), an organization that deals with domestic violence and maintains a shelter for abused women and children. In 1989 Bill was awarded the Community Leadership Award of the Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai B'rith. He received the IMBY Award from the Fairfax-Falls Church, Virginia, United Way for his significant initiatives supporting affordable housing. Bill served as a fund raising leader for the Montgomery County American Cancer Society. In 1975 he was chairman of the committee responsible for adding a sanctuary and several classrooms to his much loved Temple Emanuel in Kensington, Maryland. Bill was passionate about his faith and this particular temple. In his spare time, Bill enjoyed fishing, golf, keeping in shape, and spending time with his family and friends, including Lil Dudes, whom he loved to take on daily walks. Bill will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was a great man in every way. Services will be held at King David Memorial Garden, National Memorial Park, 7400 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042 at 1 p.m. on Sunday, December 18, 2016, followed by a graveside funeral at 2 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to the following: HomeAid Northern Virginia Attn: Christy Zeitz 3684 Centerview Drive Suite 110B Chantilly, VA 20151 (571) 283-6300 czeitz@homeaidnova.org www.homeaidnova.org/ AHOME Foundation PO Box 3931 Merrifield, VA 22116 Ahome-nova@outlook.com www.ahome-nova.org LAWS 105 East Market Street Leesburg VA, 20176 703-771-3398 www.lcsj.org laws@lcsj.org The direct link for donations to LAWS is: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/lcsjlaws/ Capital Caring Capital Caring Resource Development Office 2900 Telestar Court Falls Church, VA 22042 www.capitalcaring.org stewardship@capitalcaring.orgstewardship@capitalcaring.org