Alyce Jean Berry
On April 15, 1961, Alyce Jean Berry was born in small town Russellville, Alabama, but she was no small-town personality! She might not have known it then, but Jeannie was destined to be an impactful figure that could always be sure to shake things up. Jeannie entered eternal life Tuesday, April 23rd, but her spirit is carried on by her husband, Richard Berry. Two Daughters, Jordan Berry and Rachel Smith. Step-Daughter, Cindee Black, four amazing grandchildren, Her Brother Steve Franks, and an extended family of relations and friends from every walk of life.
Throughout this time of grief, it has been so uplifting to relive some of the best memories of Jeannie, as well as read all the texts, social media posts and emails from those near and far that have been touched by Jeannie’s generosity; both financially and emotionally. We were blessed to have learned many valuable life lessons during Jeannie’s short 58 years of life. While there are many, Jeannie’s family has a few favorites they would like to highlight.
“Always have love for your home team”. ROLL TIDE ROLL! – Jeannie LOVED the Tide!! She was their biggest fan and you could find her on gameday with her Bama Jersey on and a cocktail in hand ready to holler and cheer on the team as loud as she could even from her living room! When we say holler, we mean it! Growing up with two older brothers’ that both were big into sports contributed to Jeannie’s love of all things, Alabama football!
Speaking of love for her home team, when Jeannie was just six-years old, she had the opportunity to march with the Russellville High School Marching Band at the Astrodome here in Houston. Pretty Awesome, not many six-year olds can say they have had an experience like that! Jeannie would continue to be a majorette all throughout her years of school and leading many, many more parades for Russellville High School.
“Nothing exceeds like excess”. This was Jeannie’s favorite motto to which she applied to many things. Decorating for the holiday’s is one of those! Boy, did she have a zest for bringing on the Christmas cheer! There was never a nook in the house not covered with a holiday nick-knack and no Christmas was complete without five Christmas trees! And you better believe they ALL had a ton of presents under them. The fudge, cheeseballs, beef wellington, champagne, anything that you can imagine; Jeannie had it for the Holiday’s. It is going to be hard to replicate the holiday’s like Jeannie did. We are sure she will get a kick out of watching us try!
“Never go to someone’s house empty handed”. Anyone that knows Jeannie, knows that she either goes big…or Bigger! This was true even just going to visit friends. Jeannie would always have flowers, treats and all the laughs when she was spending time with friends. Jeannie also enjoyed having company in her own home, you could always plan on getting a meal and tall glass of iced tea (or something stronger) as soon as you came through the door.
“Never forget to send a thank you note”. Jeannie saved every thank you note that she got from all of her friends and family. This was something that meant a lot to her and she always told her own children to be sure to never skip out on writing a thank you note…well, there was not much of a choice when they were younger! But now they too will cherish Jeannie’s thank you notes even more.
“Always tip Big!”. Jeannie was always a huge proponent of taking care of anyone that took care of her. This stands true for any of the staff that worked in her home, one of the many cruises she went on, the family driver, waiters and waitresses at restaurants; you name it, she always made sure to leave a generous tip. She had an appreciation for hard workers and getting a little extra love for leaving a bigger tip did not hurt either.
“Travel as much as you can”. Jeannie absolutely loved to travel with her Husband Dick as well as go on girl’s trips with her best friends. She has been on over 35 cruises and had more planned! Traveling for her was such a great escape, especially since she got diagnosed with Cancer. As soon as she got on the cruise it was all “hats and horns” as she would say. Cocktail in hand, dressed to the nines, ready to take on the black jack table every night! Oh, and let’s not forget the shopping! Each trip she always managed to find a new trinket from the local islands she would visit, or a new handbag or piece of jewelry that she could remember the trip by.
“If something is funny, never be embarrassed to laugh out loud”. Jeannie was so quick witted and hilarious. It has been so wonderful for our family to laugh about all the funny moments that we had with her as well as hear stories from family and friends. If you were sad or in a bad mood, she would always find a way to make you laugh your tail off and snap out of the funk! And story-telling, Jeannie could tell a story better than anyone. We will all miss all the laughs with Jeannie, but so lucky to have so many great memories.
As sad as we are that Jeannie’s journey with us has ended, we are blessed to have so many memories and will always carry her with us as she has left an impression on us all. Please continue to remember Jeannie and sharing all the great memories that you have of her. Jeannie was very passionate about philanthropy and giving back. A large project she was working on before passing was setting up a scholarship fund for girls at the FAME Girls Ranch. We ask that in lieu of Flowers, there is a donation made to the FAME Girls Ranch at 4450 Ligon Springs Road, Russellville, AL, 35654, Attn: Cindy Hall.
Memorial Services will be held on Friday May 3, 2019 at 4:00 P.M. at The Settegast-Kopf Company @Sugar Creek.
