Jerry Berry's Obituary
Mr. Jerry Berry, age 87, passed away peacefully in his sleep Saturday, March 8, 2025, at his home.
He was born January 1938, in Dallas, Texas. It was here where Jerry met and married the love of his life, Opal Jeanette “Jean” Berry. For the next fifty-two years, they formed an inseparable team. A shared love and appreciation for art and antiques provided a lifetime of hunting and collecting. Especially precious to Jerry were their clocks. Jean’s father, Martis, conveyed his passion for clock collecting to both his son and son-in-law. To his final days, Jerry found immense pleasure in the presence of his many timepieces.
From an early age, Jerry excelled in business. As a young man, aided by his infectious personality and insatiable drive, Jerry quickly grew his local paper route into the largest in Dallas County. The key to his success was relationships, a theme which would be repeated throughout his days.
Years later, he used these same characteristics to forge a successful career in the paper business, first as broker, then a salesman, memorably calling on clients using innovative presentations, then later a company president, where he passed along his collected wisdom to the next generation of salesmen.
After having climbed that mountain and reached the pinnacle, Jerry switched paths and joined a family business at Paine Wooster. Here he teamed up with his father-in-law and brother-in-law to form a dynamic team, strengthening the familial bonds during their time together.
The final chapter of Jerry’s working years was spent as a mediator. He often described the satisfaction gained from this role as one of, “helping bring people together in a form of compromise that left both parties feeling as if they had somehow won”.
After retiring from his business ventures, Jerry continued to utilize his bonding and team building skills as an early resident of “the Village”, a newly developed retirement community in Cedar Hill. There, Jerry incorporated his uncanny knack for relationship building to establish numerous individual and community wide outreach and connection programs.
Towards the end of 2024, Jerry relocated to Weatherford, Texas to be close to his daughter and son-in-law. It was there he spent his final days under the loving and watchful eye of his daughter Jennifer. In his new home, she did her best to recreate the special environment of the Cedar Hill dwelling. The question was asked more than a few times, “Is that the way your mom had it?”. The answer was almost always, “Yes”.
Regretfully, Jerry did not get a chance to experience Springtime in his new home. He was looking forward to watching the birds, visiting with his new neighbor Margot, and walking the streets admiring the Victorian homes of Weatherford. We are eternally grateful for the time and experiences we did get to share.
Jerry was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Jean Wooster Berry; brother-in-law, Martis “Sonny” Wooster; cherished cat Mr. President; and grand-dog Suki Teague. He is survived by his daughter Jennifer Berry Teague and her husband G. Brett Teague; sister-in-law Shirley Wooster; niece Kristee Humphrey, husband Andrew, and grandnephews Hudson and Smith; nephew Bo Wooster; grand-dog Margot Teague; and his dearest friend, Con Levenduski.
Graveside services will be Saturday, March 22, 2025 at Pleasant Hill Cemetery under the direction of Rader Funeral Home of Henderson.
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