Darlene Berry

Darlene Delores Berry, 86, passed away peacefully on January 11, 2020 in University Place, WA. Darlene was born in Tacoma on February 13, 1933 to Clarence and Marie Lund and lived in the Bremerton/Olympia/University Place area her entire life. She graduated from Bremerton High School in 1950 where she met Jim Berry, the love of her life for over 70 years. Survivors include her husband, Jim; their daughters Lynette (Kevin) Griffin and Gayle (Jeff) Rembaugh; daughter-in-law, Sheila Berry; four grandchildren, Troy Snope, Jason (Eriko) Berry, Jenni (DJ) Holmes, and Jessica Berry; six great grandchildren, her sister Joann Graham, her sister-in-law Helen Stevenson, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She is preceded in death by their son, Jeff Berry. Darlene was very out-going and easily made friends everywhere she went. She loved to keep busy, stay fit and active, and earn her own spending money. Up until four months before her death, she still drove, worked part-time at her “little job” at Artco Crafts in Tacoma, worked out twice a week at Curves, and enjoyed weekly Starbucks coffee outings with girlfriends. She loved her family and enjoyed having her grandkids over and having holiday and birthday celebrations. She also enjoyed decorating her home, gardening, doing jigsaw puzzles, reading autobiographies, and watching Wheel of Fortune. In their younger years, Jim and Darlene loved to pack the kids up and go camping with good friends and family, traveling to Eastern Washington frequently, to Mt. St, Helens, and down the coast from Washington to California. Darlene’s favorite trips were to Hawaii and the fun locations where Jim’s dental conventions were held. They also loved cruising and especially enjoyed the Caribbean. After Jim retired, they traveled often to Arizona and Nevada and warmer climates in their fifth-wheel. They also made a trip to England and Scotland. During her life, Darlene held many jobs including as a bookkeeper at a local grocery store, a food demonstrator at local Costco stores, at the concession stand at the University of Puget Sound during athletic events, and even at the Pepsi-Coke Challenge tent at the Puyallup Fair. She was a Hallmark merchandising representative for many years which eventually led to her position at Artco. At every job she made and kept lifelong friends. She will be dearly missed by all who loved her.