Barry Berry

Barry Emerson Berry, age 89, of Kennewick, WA and formerly of Lengby, MN, passed away on Monday, January 29th, in Kennewick. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 12th at Fridhem Lutheran Cemetery, rural Lengby. Military honors will be provided by Spring Lake VFW Post #2759 and the National Guard Honors Team. Arrangements are with the Carlin Funeral Home of Fosston and messages of condolence may be sent at www.carlinfuneral.com. Barry Emerson Berry was born on March 3, 1928 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Basil and Thelma (Duncan) Berry. His parents moved to Lengby, Minnesota when he was four years old. He attended high school in Fosston, Minnesota.In 1952 he married Alice (Sutherland) Vorderbruggen who had five children: George, Donald, Darlene, Gary and John. Later they added Debra and Bill to the family. The family made their home in Bagley and Silver Bay, Minnesota and then lived several years in Milwaukee, Wisconsin before moving to rural Lengby, Minnesota in 1966.Barry served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War. After leaving the Navy he worked in electrical instrumentation. Later, after years of working and going to night school at Marquette University, he became an Instrumentation Engineer. For several years, he combined this career with raising Hereford and Charolais cattle, but later focused on his passion, Registered Quarter Horses.Around 1979 he and Alice began traveling for his work with Kaiser Engineering. He retired from Kaiser in 1989, and he and Alice decided to make their retirement home in Kennewick, Washington where the Columbia River allowed him to pursue is lifelong love for fishing. As it turned out, shortly after his retirement Alice passed away in June of 1990.In 1991 Barry met Vera (Nicoson) Wilkerson, and they were married on February 14, 1992. They built their home in Kennewick, and Barry's family grew to include Vera's two adult children, Larry and Susan, and their families. He enjoyed his remaining years in Kennewick and continued to pursue his love for fishing, hunting and horses until the time he passed away on January 29, 2018.He was preceded in death by his brother, Bill, his wife, Alice, sons George Vorderbruggen and Gary Vorderbruggen, daughter Darlene Larson, grandsons Mark Vorderbruggen and Jim Vorderbruggen and granddaughter Kimberly Clausen. He is survived by his wife, Vera, his children, Donald (Carolyn) Vorderbruggen, John (Susan) Berry, Debra (Craig) Clausen, Bill (Meryl) Berry, Larry (Lori) Wilkerson and Susan (Harvey) Abken, daughters-in-law, Eileen Vorderbruggen and Vivian Vorderbruggen and son-in-law, Ronald Larson, several grandchildren and many great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Further, he is survived by two sisters, Betty Bakken and Wanda Lee (Charles) Wilson and their families.Above all else, Barry wanted to be remembered as a good father and a good man, and so he is. He was a very kind and caring man and loved the outdoors.