CARNIE DELTON BERRY passed away on April 23, 2010 of cancer at the age of 89. He was born on April 4, 1921 in Big Heart, Oklahoma and was raised in Houston and the Oklahoma oil fields as the only child of Louis Berry and Elsie Berry Mikeska. Carnie was a WWII combat veteran with the Second Marine Division from 1940-1946, serving with distinction in the South Pacific campaign as a platoon sergeant. He participated in the battles for Tarawa, Guam and Okinawa, and was honorably discharged on November 16, 1946. Mr. Berry worked for the Ethyl Corporation in Houston for 30 years as the supervisor of heavy equipment, retiring in 1982. He was also faithful member of the Second Baptist Church, serving as a deacon, Sunday school class officer and choir member. He received the Deacon Emeritus award in 2006. Carnie loved the Lord and his family and lived life accordingly, positively influencing everyone around him. He also bowled every week of his adult life and was an avid golfer, medaling often in the Texas Senior Olympics in both sports. Carnie is survived by his wife of 65 years, Martha June McAlexander Berry, his daughter Jennifer Berry Ferguson and son-in-law Jerry D. Ferguson of Houston, grandson and granddaughter Shawn and Emily Rhodes Ferguson of Fort Worth, sister-in-law Barbara McAlexander Boutte of Houston and was a hero to numerous nieces and nephews. Services will be held at the Second Baptist Church Woodway campus in the Hankamer Chapel on April 28, 2010. Visitation will begin at 9:00 A.M. with a 10:00 A.M. service. Interment will follow at the Houston Veterans Memorial Cemetery, with the procession assembling at the American Heritage Funeral Home, 10710 Veterans Memorial Drive, one block south of the Beltway. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Margaret Cullen Marshall Hospice Care Center 1905 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030.
Published in Houston Chronicle on April 26, 2010