Wayne Berry

February 9, 1934 – April 18, 2020

Our hearts are broken as we share the passing of our cherished Husband, Dad, Granddaddy, Friend…. Our Hero, who went home to the Lord on April 18, 2020 at the age of 86. His devoted wife of 65 years and 3 loving daughters were by his side.

Wayne is survived by wife, Daphne Clack Berry; daughters Sheree Carter, Teree Berry, and Misty Simpson; Son-n-law Jim Simpson; grandchildren, Kendra & Jason Williams, Dustin Carter, Kelci & Micah Clanton, Natali Berry & Gussan Jalil, Jorja Simpson, and Cason Simpson; great grandchildren; Sierra Williams, Abigayle Williams, Rylee Carter-Clanton, and Hallie Williams. He is also survived by brothers Paul Berry & Irene Berry, Johnny Berry & Martha Berry; and sister Betty Kilmer; along with aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews and numerous friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter Lee and Mildred Florine Berry;

brother, Charles Henry Berry and sister Sally Sue Berry.

Wayne was born in Rosston, TX on February 9th, 1934. He attended and graduated from Era High School in Era, TX, and worked for his parents on their farm. At the age of 18 he was employed by Felderhoff Brothers Drilling, working as a rough neck. In 1953 he moved to Dallas and was hired by Tempco. Wayne married the love of his life on November 27, 1954 in a double wedding with his brother Charles and Daphne’s best friend, Carolyn Noon. Grand Prairie, TX became Wayne and Daphne’s permanent residence where they raised 3 daughters, Sheree, Teree, and Misty. Wayne attended UT Arlington where he obtained his Associates Degree and applied his education as an environmental test engineer. He received many awards during his tenure, and after 60 years of dedicated service he retired in December 2014 from Lockheed Martin.

Since his retirement he has enjoyed sleeping late, listening to the rain, drinking coffee on the patio while watching the animals and nature, and never milking a cow again. He spent quality time with his kids, grandkids, and extended family and friends. He always looked forward to gatherings around food whether at a restaurant or a table prepared by him. He took pride in his meal preparation, display, and flavor as well as taking on the task of nearly the entire Thanksgiving feast. One special memory is that any time the family took a road trip, everyone had to be up and ready in time to stop and eat breakfast ,as that was his favorite meal.

He was very handy with tools and fixing things. The family’s moto was, “Dad can fix it, he can fix anything.” He enjoyed building, working on, and “tinkering” with various things such as radios, cars, clocks, computers, and model air planes. His favorite plane was red and had the head of Snoopy dog in the cockpit as the Red Barron.

Wayne was an avid sports fan, from playing basketball and football in school to a men’s fast pitch league as an adult. He loved watching and attending sporting events, especially those of his children, grandchildren, and The Texas Rangers. Wayne loved to dance and all the women loved dancing with him. His dance card was always full. He also had quite the sense of humor, always having a joke or funny saying for everything. His amazing curiosity of the universe and its intricacies will forever be remembered. His knowledge and love of learning was infectious. He has been called the “smartest man in the room - any room”.

He remains the heart of the family and everyone’s biggest fan. His patience and commitment were astounding, loving with all his heart and soul. His work ethic was impeccable but he always made it a priority to support and attend his children’s sporting events and performances. So many lives have been touched by this remarkable man who is respected, loved, and will remain such a blessing to so many.

A Special thanks to the outstanding physicians, nurses, and staff at Baylor Scott & White hospital at Irving and their CHF clinic. They provided him with the very best medical care showing him and his family compassion and unconditional love. Also to the caregivers from Right at Home who provided assistance and care for him when at home these past few months.

We would be honored to have donations made to the American Heart Association or St. Jude’s Hospital in memory of Wayne.