Louise T. Berry

Louise T Berry, 81, of Granville passed away Saturday March 12, 2016. Louise was born to the late professor Harold Titus and Pauline Titus, spending her entire childhood in Granville. She graduated from Denison University in 1956 with a degree in Public Speaking and completed more than 50 graduate hours in Applied Sociology and Volunteer Management at Kent State University. In her early years, Louise was an active folk singer, civil rights activist and mother. She was continually devoted to her children, Steven Berry (of New Haven, CT) and Karen Harn (of Berea, OH).  

Following the death of her husband, Dr. Earl R Berry,  in 1972 , she returned to full time work and served consecutively as Director of  the Athens, OH, County Red Cross; as a Volunteer Coordinator for Cleveland Society for the Blind (Cleveland); and as Volunteer Services Director at Southwest General Hospital (Middleburg Hts, OH). During her time at Southwest General, she helped utilize over 1,000 volunteers and created such community programs as Emergency Room Patient Liaison Service, Community Outreach for the frail elderly, community van transportation, Cleveland Phone Friend service for latch-key children, Starring Roles Baby Video Service, Patient Activity Center, and Hospice Volunteer Service. She left Southwest General in the mid 1990s to found a nonprofit management consultancy.

At various times throughout her life, Louise has been active in the League of Womens Voters, American Association of Wives of Student Medical Students, Officers Wives Club at Homestead Air Force Base, Athens Citizens for Fair Housing, YW Board, Delta Gamma and PEO. She was a past President of The Ohio Society of Directors of Volunteer Services of the Ohio Hospital Association and was one of the first Volunteer Directors in the U.S. to meet all the requirements to become a Certified Volunteer Administrator. She specialized in developing new and creative community service programs utilizing a combination of paid staff and volunteers, for which she received numerous awards.

At the time of her death Louise was a member of the warm residential community of Kendal at Granville where she did some work on the Newsletter staff  and Computer Users Group. In her later years , her greatest pleasure was reading, keeping up on the news, tending to her plants and spending time visiting and traveling with her children and her grandchildren. Louise was predeceased by her beloved sister, Margaret Dekker. Her survivors include her son Steven and his wife Lauren, her daughter Karen and her husband Chris, her five grandchildren Noelle, Michael, Samuel, Alec and  Ryan and her great grandchild Aubree.

Arrangements are in the care of McPeek-Hoekstra Funeral Home in Granville. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.  A remembrance will be held on Saturday, April 9th at 2:30 PM in the Amelia Room at Kendal at Granville, Granville, Ohio.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Kendal Residents Fund at Kendal at Granville.

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