William Dal Berry, known to his family and friends as Dal, passed away unexpectedly on January 24, 2013. He was born on January 6, 1937 in Town Creek, Alabama. He was preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Anna Belle (Davis) Berry, his sister, Virginia (Berry) Stutts, and two brothers, Garth Berry and Theron Berry. In Dallas, Dal is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Peggy(Jackson), his two daughters, Jaime (Davis) and Leigh Ann, his granddaughter, Ashley Anne Sellar, and his great-grandson, Braylon James Baker. He is also survived by his brother, Calvin Berry, of Town Creek, Alabama.
Dal met and married Peggy while attending Florence College, currently known as the University of North Alabama. From rural beginnings, Dal advanced professionally through a variety of positions at Burroughs Corporation (aka Unisys) before becoming President of Graphic Sciences, Inc. in Danbury, Connecticut. In 1980, Dal took a position as Vice President of Office Products Business Unit with Xerox Corporation. The family soon relocated to Dallas, Texas. He later joined VMX Telecommunications Inc., the company that invented and first introduced voice mail, as President/CEO and eventually took that small, start-up company public. Over time, Dal took a total of three companies public. After "retiring" several times, Dal was active in various developing companies. He was a founding member of The Dallas Angels and acted as a mentor to numerous start-up Dallas businesses.
Dal also served on the board of several trade and community organizations with positions including former chairman of the Texas Council of the American Electronics Association, member of the American Electronics Association National Board of Directors, vice-chairman of the Committee of Business Executives for Better Education in Texas and board member of the Technology Executives Roundtable.
Dal was an avid sports fan and, in more recent years, his "work" consisted of almost daily golf games with his many friends. While he loved both domestic and international travel, his true passion was golfing at South Padre Island, Texas. With his highly rewarding career, zest for life, immense love for family and friends, it isn't surprising that Dal was once described as "a man that other men want to emulate". He will be sorely missed by those who were lucky enough to call him brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and dear friend.
Services will be held on Monday, January 28, 2013 at 10:00am at Chapel East of the Hillcrest Mausoleum with a reception to follow in the L.N. “Bill” Sparkman, Jr. Family Lounge at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in the name of William Dal Berry at the American Heart Association (www.donate.amercianheart.org).
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