‘A fitting tribute’
A GENTLE WAY
Oxen, she added, were constant companions and loyal friends to a good man who lived life on his own terms.
“He saw a beauty in them maybe some people didn’t see. I mean, let’s face it - they’re a slow animal. When they’re full grown they can be a very, very large animal,” said Connell.
“But there’s something about the oxen, a gentle way they have.”
Melissa Bailey O’Hara knew Berry for seven or eight years and received a number of pointers from him in that time.
“He would stop by every couple weeks to see how I was making out with whatever pair of oxen or steers I had at the time. He made it around to all the ox pulls to watch the past years,” she said.
She was moved to see a fellow teamster mentored by Berry ensure the accomplished showman had a proper send-off at his graveside service.
“It was phenomenal to see in person. Claude… had oxen most of his life, so for him to have the oxen taking him to his final resting place was definitely fitting.”
Speaking on behalf of her siblings (Andy, Steve and Kim Berry), Connell says the outpouring of kind words about her father has warmed their hearts. She takes comfort in knowing her dad got to enjoy the Christmas dinner with family that he looked forward to for weeks.
“At 93 years of age he was fiercely independent and determined, still living on his own. Dad enjoyed driving his black Ford (half) ton, watching his baseball and hockey games (and) Judge Judy,” Berry’s obituary reads.
Berry, a longtime Lawrencetown exhibition showman and supporter, picked apples for the nearby Spurr Brothers farm, drove trucks and worked as a warehouse supervisor for TRA in Middleton prior to his retirement.
He was laid to rest with a couple of his grand champion ribbons and the training wand he used with oxen. Thanks to the Cole’s special send-off, Connell likes to believe her father had good reason to be buried with a smile, too.
“It was a real fitting tribute. I’m sure anyone that drove down the North Kingston road on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. couldn’t quite figure out why these two great, big animals and a wagon had a coffin on the back,” she said.
“That was the last ride and there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that our dad was smiling.”