Esther M. Berry

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Esther M. (Miller) Berry, 98, of Franklin and formerly of Whiteland, passed away Saturday, April 9, 2016 at the Franklin United Methodist Community.

She was born Jan. 28, 1918 in St. Benedict, Pa., to John and Rose (Eckenrode) Miller.

She was lovingly raised by her maternal grandparents Anslem and Elmira (Weakland) Eckenrode.

She married Robert J. Berry on Nov. 20, 1941 at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. He preceded her in death on Nov. 5, 1991.

She was a 1936 graduate of Barnesboro High School in Barnesboro, Pa. She and her late husband Robert worked in partnership for 50 years as Berry Tax Services in Franklin and Whiteland.

She was a member of Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic Church, attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Franklin and was a 43-year member of the Indiana Tax Preparers' Association.

She was dedicated and loved her work in serving others.

She enjoyed fishing, boating, going to Kentucky Lake, traveling and planting and eating from her garden. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Survivors include her daughters, Carol Long (David) of Franklin, Bernadette George (Don) of Indianapolis, and JoAnn Young (James) of Memphis, Tenn.; daughter-in-law Judith Berry (Robert Jr.-deceased) of Muncie, and formerly of Greencastle; seven grandchildren, David Cannon and Michael Cannon both of Franklin, Patrick Cannon (Jean) of Bloomington, Annie Berry of Traverse City, Mich., Megan Inman (Skip) and Katie Barger (Jeremy) both of Greencastle, and Alyson Young of Knoxville, Tenn.; stepgrandsons, Jeff Long (Carrie) of Owingsville, Ky., Andy George of Jeffersonville, and Chris George of Hamilton, Ohio, and seven great-grandchildren, Nicholas Cannon, Emma Cannon, Noah Froehlich and Elly Froehlich, Brayden Inman, Hudson Inman and Clara Lillian Barger, also surviving many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert J. Berry; son Robert J. Berry Jr. on Sept. 19, 2006; her parents; maternal grandparents; paternal grandparents; four brothers, Elmer, Valentine, Gerald and Leroy Miller, and two sisters, Dorothy Probst and Sylvia Schlein.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at noon on Saturday, April 16 at Our Lady of The Greenwood Catholic Church, 335 S. Meridian St., Greenwood.

Friends may call Friday from 4-8 p.m. at Swartz Family Community Mortuary, 300 S. U.S. 31 (Morton Street) in Franklin and Saturday from 10 a.m. until service time at the church.

Burial will be in Greenlawn Cemetery in Franklin. The family requests that any memorial contributions be made to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-0301 or at www.dav.org, however, flowers are welcome.

The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude to the doctors, nurses and aides at Franciscan St. Francis Hospital Geriatrics Medicine and the Franklin United Methodist Community for their kind and compassionate care.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.swartzmortuary.com.