Graham "Pete" G. Berry, Jr. (1944 - 2019)

 

Rose Frye West '77, a family friend, sent the news that Pete died on April 1st, surrounded by his friends and family. His wife Gini followed him in death 3 months later.

 

Click here for the PAW memorial.

 

The following obituary and photo are from the Saint Mark's Episcopal Church (Altadena CA) Facebook page;

 

"Our dear brother Pete Berry died early this afternoon, April 1. He was surrounded by his family and friends as he was released from this life and welcomed into the loving arms of God. We are deeply blessed to have had Pete as our beautiful servant and companion on the Way. His friendship, faith, and ministry have been such a gift to our community for nearly 15 years. Hold his children Daniel and Matthew, his wife Gini, and his grandchildren and loved ones in prayer in the days ahead. We will celebrate his life and our Resurrection hope at Saint Mark's on Saturday, April 6, at 2:30 p.m."

 

The church website summarized Pete's career after he left Princeton and before he joined the church in 2005.

 

"The Rev. Graham Berry joined Saint Mark’s in April 2005, first as parishioner and then as Assisting Priest. “Pete” graduated Seabury-Western Seminary in 1983; he has a BS/MS from Kansas State, and holds many certifications in computer technologies. He served as full-time pastor in the Diocese of Chicago from 1984-1997, and as Supply Priest and part-time Interim Pastor until 2002. During this time Pete was a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He and Virginia (“Gini”) moved from Chicago to San Diego in 2002, and to Pasadena in 2004. In 2007, Pete was hired as a Senior Windows Administrator at Caltech. Pete has a diverse background, working in the Apollo/LEM program, for TWA, and for a brief time as a Scuba Diving Instructor."

 

 

Classmate Memories

Steve Newman, one of Pete's roommates, writes:

 

"Frank [Ward], Wendell [Ing], Mike Kinard, and I roomed together in 70 Patton during our freshman year. My close friend from high school, John Nagorniak (may he rest in peace) spent much time with us, and the five of us decided to room together the next year. We signed up for the room draw in what was known as the "New Quad," only to discover to our dismay that five-man rooms were extremely rare. Someone noticed that seven-man rooms were available in abundance, so we introduced ourselves to two engineering students, Jon Morse and Pete. They had hoped to snare a two-man room in the New Quad and were experiencing an identical problem. Apparently the concept of "due diligence" was unknown to the seven of us.

 
The result of this unexpected union was a lovely five-bedroom suite on the second floor of Gauss Hall for the seven of us. We remained there, adding Tom Smith to replace Pete when he withdrew from school midway during our junior year. The incredible memories will never fade.
 
My last contact with Pete was in the fall before our 25th reunion, when Nagorniak and I called each of the others to encourage attendance. Pete was then a minister in Kansas City; and although he was unable to attend reunions, the three of us had a great chat and a great time reliving the good old days.
 
To my regret, I have lost contact with Wendell, Mike, and Frank, but do have annual contact with Jill Nagorniak, John's widow (John and I were ushers at each other's wedding), and maintain almost daily email contact with Jon Morse.