Joan C. Berry Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Lawrence, MA - Joan C. Berry, a lifelong resident of Lawrence, passed away peacefully April 17, 2017 at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill on her 81st birthday following a brief illness. Joan was the daughter of the late John J. and Emily (Suda) Verbicky. She attended St. Laurence O’Toole Elementary School and graduated with honors in 1953 from St. Mary’s High School. She began her career working in the Boston financial district. Through a friend stationed at an Army base in Alaska, she began corresponding with James A. Berry of Kodiak Island who eventually came to Massachusetts and became her husband in 1956. Joan then devoted herself to raising her family until she returned to the workforce in the early 1970s. She spent over ten years as an employee of CVS and then returned to her roots in banking, working in the commercial loan department at Arlington Trust Bank until her retirement. Her outgoing personality and approachability, along with her willingness to engage in looooooooong and thoughtful conversations, endeared Joan to those whose lives intersected with hers. She loved dining out with friends and family, watching the Red Sox, scratching lottery tickets, playing Keno, hosting holiday dinners, and treating herself to a nightly dish of ice cream. She was funny and thoughtful, kind and humble. She supported a wide range of charities and was exceedingly generous. Joan’s life was spent devoted to her children and grandchildren whom she adored with all her heart. Joan is survived by her daughter, Linda Capodilupo and her husband James and her son, Michael J. Berry, all of Lawrence; her sister, Sr. Mary Jean, SND of Lowell; her daughter-in-law, Mary Ann Wheeler and her grandsons, Eric Matthews and his wife Bernadette, Richard Wheeler and Joshua Hunter. She also leaves her friend of many decades, Sr. Linda Hutchins of Lowell, and Helen Dobrosielski of Salisbury, her friend for over seventy-five years. She was predeceased by her son, Richard J. Berry, who passed away in 2016. Joan’s family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the nursing staff in the ICU of Lawrence General Hospital for providing the utmost in competent and respectful care to both Joan and her family members. Thanks also are given to the staff at Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill for their compassion and professional support.

Joan C. Berry

April 17, 1936 - April 17, 2017