John Samuel Berry , March 09, 1936 — August 31, 2018

OBITUARY John Samuel Berry March 9, 1936 – August 31, 2018 A strong name for a strong man as John’s motto was “get ‘er done”. He never put off until tomorrow what could be done today. John Berry was born on March 9, 1936, in Auburn, CA.

He had two brothers, Glenn and Jack. With his brother, Jack, he joined the United States Marines in 1953, at the age of 17, and learned to cook, which led to his legendary potato and macaroni salads. John married Darlene in January of 1960, and the young family moved from Woodland, CA, to Mendota, CA, in 1962, for John to work at Spreckels.

John retired as a shift supervisor after 35 years with Spreckels Sugar Beet Plants. In retirement, John kept busy. He built furniture and garden boxes.

He and Darlene were active in the Kerman United Methodist Church where he was the go-to-fix-it guy, a cook for the church’s monthly community dinner, and a helper in the church thrift store, “For Heaven’s Sake”. Darlene passed in 2015. John married Nancy Tucker, wife of Jim Tucker, 1942 to 2009, in November of 2016, and they shared their lives, histories, and families with joy.

They bought a house together in Fresno and enjoyed getting together with John’s children, Nancy’s children, and all of their grandchildren. John loved to garden and planted tomatoes every year, including this spring, which have been amazing producers. John passed away on Friday, August 31, 2018, after a valiant battle with cancer.

He is survived by his wife Nancy; his daughter, Debbie Cerkueira and husband Gary, and their daughter Cydney; his daughter, Donna Sweany and husband Randy, and their children, Nathan and Anna, and Nathan’s fiancé Lauren; his brother, Jack Berry and wife Connie; Nancy’s son, Michael Tucker; her daughter, Betsy Hays and husband Brad, and their children, Samantha and Jackie. Family and friends are invited to a Graveside Service at Fresno Memorial Gardens on Friday, September 7, 2018, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Celebration of Life lunch at the Kerman United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hinds Hospice of Fresno; Kerman United Methodist Church; or the charity of the donor’s choice.

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