Wilburn Eugene Berry

Wilburn E. Berry, 98, of DeSoto, TX, passed away Tuesday morning.  Mr. Berry had been a long time DeSoto resident.   Mr. Berry was a member of First United Methodist Church in DeSoto. Born May 14, 1919 in Bellevue, TX near Wichita Falls.  Son of Charlie and Nona Berry he is survived by two sons and their spouses Dick and Jeannie in Sugar Land and Pat and Marilyn in Austin; six grandchildren Carly, Casi, Lana, Cindee, Rachel and Jordan; 10 greatgrandchildren, Jordan, Ashley, Jaxson, Katie, Gianna, Ally, Violet, Jax, River and Amelia, and his sister Charlene Wilcox.  His wife of 70 years, Helyne, his grandson, Alan, and two younger siblings , Wyneth and Lindy preceded him in death.  In 1896, Wilburn’s father Charlie who was less than two years old at the time, was abandoned along with two other very young siblings, by their mother who left them at the Grayline Wagon Yard.  The children were separated and adopted individually.  Charlie was adopted by Oz Berry, a farmer in Vashti, TX and was given the Berry surname. Wilburn’s grandmother, Lillie Donley, was a Crockett before marrying Pat Donley and Davy Crockett was her cousin.  His younger brother Lindy, was an All-American quarterback for TCU.  He was also the starting safety on defense, the punter and kick returner.  He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers but opted for a professional team in Canada because they offered slightly more money than the Niners did.  Lindy said that Wilburn was the best athlete in the family but Wilburn, being the oldest, went to work to help the family and never pursued sports.     Wilburn enlisted in the Army Air Corp on April 18, 1944.  While in the service, he was asked if he would be interested in boxing for the Army.  It would involve traveling and would provide some privileges, but he was practical and didn’t see a future in it.  He was a scrapper in his youth, a tough guy who would stand up to anybody.  He looked the part of a boxer too.  He always had a chiseled, athletic build in his younger days.  Wilburn was honorably discharged on November 20, 1945, due to his wife, Helyne, calling in a favor from a politician that she had once done some work for.  Dick was born in October of 1944 and she wanted Wilburn back home again.  He was a corporal when he was discharged and he never had to serve in combat. Wilburn had the opportunity as a young man to learn a trade.  He became a stereotyper apprentice at the local newspaper in Wichita Falls, TX.  Once he learned the trade he pursued work wherever he could find it.  Newspapers across the country were experiencing shortages of qualified personnel during and after WWII.  Different locales offered varying rates of pay dependent upon how desperate they were.  Wilburn worked in newspapers in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Niagara Falls, NY, maximizing his earnings.  Wilburn and Helyne eventually decided to settle in Dallas and he worked at both The Dallas Times Herald and The Dallas Morning News, working full time for the Times Herald and part time for the Morning News.  He eventually worked solely for the Times Herald.  In the early 60’s, Wilburn was offered a job as a salesman with the Beveridge Dry Mat Co, a newspaper supply company.  A few years later he was offered another sales job by New England Newspaper Supply Co and he stayed with this company until he finally decided to retire in 1989 at age 70.  He traveled weekly putting 50,000 miles on his car annually and covered a seven state territory.  Wilburn was a people person and made a good living as a salesman.  He enjoyed the work, too.  It was a very different environment.  Newspaper companies were dark, dingy places to work.  He loved having the freedom to drive across the country, meet people, see things and most importantly to him at that time, it paid well.  He got new cars frequently due to the mileage he put on them and he enjoyed having an expense account too.   Always looking to make things better for his family, in addition to his full time work, Wilburn got his real estate license, insurance brokers license and even dabbled in being a custom home builder.  He was obviously a hard-working, industrious individual that strived to better himself and his family and he was determined that none of them would ever experience the poverty that he once had.  Wilburn was a member of the Hella Temple Shriners for over 50 years and he participated in the Shriner Marching Patrol that won a national championship competing against other patrols from across the country.  He stayed busy practicing and traveling with the patrol to competitions and also playing in Shriner golf outings.  Wilburn enjoyed hunting and fishing and being in the outdoors.  He went on annual deer hunts in West Texas all the way into his 80’s.  With Helyne they kept a travel trailer at Lake Granbury for many years where they would retreat quite frequently.  He also loved to fish and fished everywhere from Texas to Florida to Canada.    Wilburn was an avid golfer and he taught the game to both his sons, Dick and Pat.  The three of them took many Father’s Day golf trips together.  Wilburn got a hole in one when he was 86.  He finally quit playing when he was 92, due to hip pain.  He shot an 84 on his last round.  He said it was easy to shoot a score lower than your age if you play long enough!    Wilburn and Helyne always loved to travel and after he retired the two of them traveled frequently.  He loved to drive and Helyne wasn’t crazy about flying so they went on a lot of driving trips across the country.  They took many trips to Las Vegas, traveled with the Shrine Patrol, and went on numerous cruises.  Their joint grave marker has an airplane and a car on it, indicating their love of traveling together.    Wilburn lived a great life and passed away in his sleep of natural causes. Mr. Berry will be buried at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas in a private ceremony, and there will be a Memorial Service on Saturday, August 19, 2017 at 11 A. M. at The First United Methodist Church  310 Roaring Springs, DeSoto, TX 75115.  Rev. Kevin Strempke will officiate.