Raymond M. Berry

Raymond M. Berry, 90, finished his journey on February 20, 2015. Born July 12, 1924 in Orem, Utah, to Raymond A. Berry, a western novelist, and Ruth Muirhead Berry, a Protestant missionary, Ray grew up at the mouth of Rock Canyon. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Provo as the sole “gentile” (as he liked to claim), Ray joined the Army in 1943.

Ray served in the D­Day landings on June 6, 1944 as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment. Rather than jumping out of a plane, he entered Occupied Europe in a flimsy glider that crash landed well behind the Normandy beaches, in a flooded zone. Everyone in the front of the glider drowned. Ray, with two companions, armed with a single sidearm, were not reunited with other U.S. forces for 10 days. Ray returned to Europe in September, 1944, re­assigned to the 376th Infantry Regiment, serving with the forces preventing the breakout of German forces in St. Nazaire, in the L’Orient Pocket. In late December 1944 the 376th was assigned to break through the Siegfried Switch, a section of the Siegfried Line. In that campaign Ray was wounded in late January 1945, after crossing the Moselle River in a rubber raft. He never went near a raft again.

Discharged in the summer of 1945, Ray attended the University of Montana in Missoula Montana, where he met Joan Katherine Ford, daughter of John W. and Alene Ford, of Hamilton, Montana. Ray and Joan were married in December 1949 in Hamilton, shortly after Ray graduated from the University of Montana law school.

Accepting a job with the United Pacific Insurance Company as a claims adjuster who also served as trial counsel, Joan and Ray moved to Salt Lake City in 1952, where they raised four rambunctious boys, Tim, Scott, Tom, and Jack. The family home was in Holladay, at the foot of Mt. Olympus. Ray loved the Wasatch Mountains, taking his sons on frequent hikes, teaching them to enjoy and take care of the mountains that meant so much to him. If he had been forced to choose a religious affiliation, it would have been the Church of the Wasatch. He introduced all his sons to skiing, and week­end trips to Alta, Brighton Solitude and Park City were a major family activity in the 60’s. The great tragedy of his life was the death of his eldest son, Tim, from sarcoma, in 1969.

Ray practiced law as a trial lawyer in Utah from 1953 until his retirement in 1994, most of that time as a partner in the law firm of Snow,Christensen & Martineau. During his career he handled more than a 1000 jury trials. He was recognized by the Utah legal community as one of the leading trial lawyers in Utah, known for his honesty, courtesy and equanimity, no matter how things were going in the court room. Often asked by younger lawyers how he remained so calm and collected in the courtroom, his standard reply was, “what’s there to worry about? No one’s shooting at me.”

Joan died in 1997, just shy of the couple’s 50th anniversary. However, Ray was fortunate to meet a new life partner, and married Dale Berry (*Orfanakis) in 1999.
Dale, her son Mike and his wife Stephanie, along with their two children Nick and Emilie brought great enjoyment to Ray in the new century . During Ray’s last years, in addition to being a tireless and loyal caretaker, Dale brightened his life every day by sharing with Ray his love of televised sports, Ute football in particular.

At Ray’s request, no services will be held. The family would like to extend their deep appreciation for the care Ray received during his last weeks at Sunrise Senior Living in Holladay, and from Franki Loftus and the other staff of Inspiration Hospice.

Survived by;
Dale Berry
Scott Berry (son) and his wife Barbra, their son Dane and his wife Jessica, and their children Helena and Owen, and their daughter Diane and her husband Mike.
Tom Berry (son);
Jack Berry (son) and his wife Therese, and their daughters Allison and Katrina Sisters; Mary Beth Subers and Barbara Cannon