Jeni Berry

Jeni’s father was a traveling salesman, so they traveled across the country. Her mother taught her to sing and dance while entering her in every beauty pageant that she could. Jeni had more than 15 pageant titles. Little Miss Georgia, Little Miss Tennessee, Fishing Queen to name a few from the younger days. They called her “Miss Everything Under the Sun” because she won every competition she entered. Then in 1945 she became Miss Miami, Miss Florida and runner up to Miss America.

After the Miss America pageant, Jeni turned down movie offers and Broadway shows because she was engaged to be married. Her mother took her to New York. Through work as a model represented by the Conover Model Agency, her face appeared on many magazine covers, billboards for Camel cigarettes, as well as in ads for items such as toothpaste and shampoo. She also did some runway modeling.

In 1948, Jeni was selected as the original model for Miss Blue Bonnet Margarine. After making public appearances on behalf of the brand, she became so popular that her likeness began appearing on packaging for 38 years.

More than just a pretty face, Jeni headed to Washington to lobby lawmakers for the company. At the time, margarine wasn’t colored yellow because the [dairy companies] didn’t want it to look like butter. Margarine was sold in a plastic tub with a tube of yellow coloring to mix in. Jeni changed the law. Margarine could be sold yellow! After a while, she wanted it in sticks. She went back to Washington and you can now buy margarine, yellow and in sticks because of her.

After retiring from her modeling career, Jeni still enjoyed smiling and making others laugh, on and off camera. She went on to become a mother of two red-headed daughters and affectionately known as “Glamorous Grandma” (Gigi) to her 3 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. She spent time sharing a lifetime of entertaining stories, traveling, attending church, and keeping up with both old and new friends. She was a smart, fearless, independent, strong, and compassionate woman even in her last days. Jeni was a lover of people and pageants, animals and acting, music and movies, birds and beauty… But above all else- she was a lover of Jesus. She left her footprint and legacy in this world, and there is no doubt she stepped in upstairs decked out in animal print and rhinestones!

Jeni is survived by her daughter, Laurie Carey; grandsons, James Carey, Jr. (Ayla), Jonathan Carey; granddaughter, Christini Carey McMillan (Adam); six great-grandchildren, Cayden, Kinlee, Kappel, Kingston, Magnolia, and Ryman, and nephew, Billy Freeland.

She is preceded in death by her parents, William “Doc” and Ruth Freeland; daughter, Donna Alicoate; brother, Bill Freeland; and great-granddaughter, Ember Presley Carey.

“Age is a number. Old is an attitude.”

- Jeni Berry

A graveside service for Jeni will be held Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM at Garden of Memories Cemetery, 4207 East Lake Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33610.

Following the graveside service A Life Celebration will begin at 5:00 PM at Freedom Square, 10801 Johnson Blvd, Seminole, Florida 33772.