Kenneth Berry

Kenneth Wayne Berry (Oct. 8, 1949-Aug. 8, 2021)

Kenneth Wayne Berry, age 71, passed away on August 8, 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ken was born on October 8, 1949 to Homer and Mary Berry. After graduating from Winston County High School in 1967, he went on to attend The University of Alabama, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Business Administration in 1971. During college, he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He also met Deborah Lynn Williams during that time. They were married for 33 years, from 1969 until her death in 2002. They had two children, Ashley and Chad.

After graduation, he worked in a variety of sales and business positions, including for companies such as Norcliffe Thayer, Revlon, and Beecham. He later owned his own waterproofing business and was a homebuilder. For the past 10-plus years, he has worked for Mayco Industries based in Birmingham.

Ken loved his family and friends and cared for them deeply. As his daughter recently shared, “One thing I know for sure is how much my dad loved me and my brother. I know how much. I’m so grateful for that. I know how much he loved his grandkids and his dogs. He would give us the shirt off his back as many times as he needed to. My father unconditionally loved me and I know it. How lucky am I?”

Ken enjoyed people and enjoyed sharing stories. He was known as a straight shooter and “one of a kind.” He had a wide breadth of knowledge on a variety of topics – “better than Google” was one of the phrases used to describe him in recent years. For most of his life, he was an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He loved the lake, especially Smith Lake, where he lived for almost 20 years until moving to Tuscaloosa. He also loved the Crimson Tide and particularly relished when the Tide beat Tennessee and Auburn.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Debby. He is survived by his two children, Ashley and Chad; his daughter-in-law, Mallie; three grandchildren, Grace, Isabella, and Jack; his niece Hailey; nephews Nathan, Matt, and Hunter; his father-in-law Russell Williams; in-laws Bob and Diane Corley, Harold and Kim Pearson, Dearl and Janie Pinyan, Wesley Pinyan, and Kristy Quick; his half-brother Jason Berry, as well as many dear friends and co-workers and his beloved black lab and constant companion, Belle.

A memorial service with the family will be held at a later date still to be determined. He will be interned at Grace Episcopal Church in Cullman, with this wife. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to one of the following charities: West Alabama Food Bank or the Human Society of West Alabama.