RICHARD BERRY
10/11/1944 - 11/13/2022
Richard “Dick” Berry passed away on November 13, 2022, at the age of 78 after a long and courageous battle with cancer surrounded by loved ones who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest. Dick was witty, hard working, and compassionate towards everyone, and he saw a great return because of this throughout his life.
Born on October 11, 1944, in Jacksonville, FL, Dick had a vivacious childhood that was filled with love and mischief, mostly that he got into with his beloved grandmother, Gaga. He always told stories about eating out, which remained one of his favorite activities throughout his life, but it all started with Gaga. All he would have to do is mention a type of food or restaurant, and with no questions asked, Gaga would swoop him up and they would go! When his father, Wilburn, was discharged from the Army, Dick, Wilburn, and Helyne, his mother, all moved to Dallas. Dick always had the biggest sweet tooth. Each summer, he would fly back to Florida to be with Gaga and his grandfather, Bing. Bing owned a pharmacy that had a soda shoppe inside that Dick would work at. One summer, for every shake a customer would order, Dick would make himself one, too. After a summer of eating endless milkshakes and reading comics, Helyne was shocked to discover the belly he had packed on when he returned to Dallas!
Growing up, Dick was very active in the Boy Scouts, rising all the way to Eagle Scout. He loved hunting and fishing, especially when he got to go with his father. One summer, he worked at a grocery store in Dallas making 61 cents an hour bagging groceries and taking them out to the car for customers. He saved up every cent he earned to buy a shotgun of his very own (and not just any shotgun, either: it was a LeFever Nitro Special, the first hammerless double barrel shotgun). Over the years, he enjoyed many trips across the world to go dove hunting.
A love for Texas Christian University ran in the Berry family blood, and
Dick’s Uncle Lindy was even a quarterback for the Horned Frogs. As a Dallasite, he also saw most of his classmates attend TCU. Dick was powerless to resist. Starting out as a math major, he quickly changed upon realizing that the only careers in this field at the time were in education, and he felt that was not the right path for him. A switch to a major in business was in the cards, and Dick thrived in the finance world. After a relatively inauspicious beginning to his career, he received an opportunity that would enable him to flourish under the tutelage of Mr. Ted Bauer. One of Dick’s favorite lessons that Ted would always teach brand new interns was that if they did not go out once a month, they could grow their 401(k). Dick was not an intern when he began working at AIM, but he said that was advice he wished someone would have told him when he was that age, and that was always something he told his own children. When asked what career he would have chosen if it were not finance, his response was always, “I would always choose finance again.” For most of his career, he managed municipal bonds. While he admitted that they weren’t the wild thrill of stock trading, he really enjoyed the chance to research and uncover hidden gems. Dick was a mentor throughout his career, and his tutelage touched the lives of many of his colleagues.
Dick had a wonderful but eccentric sense of humor. He was the best at telling bedtime stories, and after a few Johnnie Walkers, also the best at dispensing some wry pearls of wisdom. One of the family’s particular favorites was “seldom right, but never in doubt.” While there is insurmountable grief felt throughout the family for the loss of Dick, years of pain and suffering are now at an end and the hope for him is that now he is at peace.
“We are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push it away, failed by our very complications, so wired that when we mourn our losses we also mourn, for better or for worse, ourselves. As we were. As we are no longer. As we will one day not be at all.” Joan Didion
Dick had four beautiful grandchildren. Ally,
Violet, River, and Jax, and all brought an abundance of laughter and joy to his life. He loved having the kids over to watch Wheel of Fortune, or for pool parties during the summer. He is preceded in death by his parents, Wilburn and Helyne Berry, his wife, Jeannie Berry, his former wife and close friend, Betty Berry, and their son, Alan Berry. He is survived by his brother Pat Berry and he found hope in the future with his daughters Cindee Black, Rachel Smith, and Jordan Hindle.
In lieu of a service, the family asks that donations go to Hope for the Day. A nonprofit movement empowering the conversation on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education.