Reuben Walton Berry Jr.

Published 7:25 pm Monday, July 25, 2016

Reuben Walton Berry Jr., 89, died Saturday, July 23, 2016, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s at Fort Worth care facility. 

A private service will be held at a later date.

Mr. Berry was born on Jan. 25, 1927, in Swan Quarter, N.C., to Reuben W. Berry Sr. and Dell Cox Berry. He graduated from East Carolina University and served in the Army in World War II. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service in New Bern, N.C., before taking a job at Montgomery Ward & Co. in Chicago, Ill., in 1955 where he spent 25 years rising through the ranks to executive vice president of personnel and member of its board of directors. While at Wards, he served on the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans for the U.S. Department of Labor under Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan and was appointed chairman of the American Cancer Society for the state of Illinois for which he was awarded the prestigious St. George’s Medal for his service. After retiring from Montgomery Ward, he joined Beatrice Companies Inc., in Chicago as executive vice president and member of its board of directors. He ended his business career as CEO of Eastman, Borne and Associates in Chicago.
After finally retiring, he and his wife Alice returned to North Carolina, settling in Pinehurst, where Reuben was very active for 15 years on the USGA Committee for both Men’s and Women’s U.S. Opens that were held in Pinehurst. He and Alice were active church members; Reuben served as a lay board member at both the United Methodist Church in Arlington Heights, Ill., and the Village Chapel in Pinehurst, N.C. In 2013, he and Alice moved to Fort Worth to be closer to their children.
Reuben shared his passion for hunting and fishing with his brothers, son, son-in-law and grandchildren. His hobbies included designing and creating custom birdhouses and stained-glass windows for family and friends.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Alice Holmes Berry of Fort Worth; daughter, Angela Berry Donahue and her husband, Dr. David Donahue, of Fort Worth; son, Gregory Walton Berry of Fort Worth; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sister, Polly Berry Cutrell of Virginia Beach, Va.; cousins, Betty Burleson and Hiatt Cahoon of Swan Quarter; and many nieces and nephews.