| Date of Birth | August 7, 1949 |
| Passed Away | January 3, 2008 |
| Place of Residence | North Hornell |
| Home State | NY |
| Service Date | January 7, 2008 |
| Service Time | 11:00 AM |
| Service Location | St. Ann's Church, Hornell |
| Interment Location | St. Mary's Cemetery |
THOMAS J. “THOM” BERRY
NORTH HORNELL-Thomas J. “Thom” Berry, 58, passed away early Thursday morning (Jan. 3, 2008) in the presence of his loving family, at his home at 476 Cleveland Ave. after a 10 year valiant fight with cancer.
Born in Hornell on Aug. 7, 1949, he was a son of the late Herbert and Mary Kelly Berry.
A resident of Hornell before moving to North Hornell 18 years ago, Thom was a graduate of St. Ann’s School, where he was a member of the Scapular Society. He was a member of the football team at Hornell High School, where he graduated from with the class of 1967. While in high school he was the world famous drummer for the legendary band the “Soul Agents.” He also attended Corning Community College.
He was employed with the NYSDOT in Hornell for 34 years and retired as an engineer five years ago.
Thom was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and was a communicant of St. Ann’s Church in Hornell. He was a Fourth Degree member and past Grand Knight of Hornell Council No. 243, Knights of Columbus; a past president of the Hornell Little League and a member of the Twin Hickory Golf Club, where he happened to meet the love of his life, the former Cynthia “Cindy” Knapp who he married in Hornell on Dec. 9, 1989.
An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed canoeing, mountain climbing, scuba diving and cross country skiing. He will be remembered for being the ultimate family man and a loving husband, father, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law and uncle as well as being considered a “secondary father” to many children in Hornell.
His family includes his wife of 18 years, Cindy; his three children, Nicolette, Thomas and Suzanne “Suzie Q” all of North Hornell; his two brothers, Kelly “Biff” (Jeana) Berry of Elkhart, Ind. and Patrick Berry of Euliss, Tx.; his two sisters, Carolyn (Marc) Rawady of Alfred and Barbara (Nigel) Perrott of Hornell; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Richard and Suzanne Knapp of Hornell; his two brothers-in-law, Clint (Dawn) Knapp of Nunda and Theron (Yuli) Knapp of Shenzhen, China; his sister-in-law, Tracy (Tom) Cassidy of Birdsall; his aunt, Edna Sheridan of Southold; also his nieces, nephews, cousins and his beloved dogs that he adored, Gizmo and Bootsie.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his granddaughter, Gillian and his beloved dog, McGruff.
Calling hours are from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Sunday at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., 285 Main St., Hornell. Friends are invited to meet his family at St. Ann’s Church, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday. Committal prayers and interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, town of Fremont.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute in his memory to either the Wilmont Cancer Center at Strong Memorial Hospital, 601 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY 14642 or to Southern Tier Hospice, 11751 East Corning Rd., Corning, NY 14830. Envelopes for memorial contributions will be available at the funeral home.
Cyndi and Family,
My heart goes out to you. It was a pleasure working with Thom in the Construction Office of DOT. May our Lord continue to comfort you and give you strength through this time.
Cindy,
My condolences on the news of Herb’s passing. I regret that I cannot attend the services as I will be out of the country for a couple of weeks.
You and your family will be in my prayers.
Tim
I am sincerely sorry for your family; but I’m sure Thom is so much better off and is happy. We used to talk about cancer and the outcome or not – you see I’m a survivor too (so far).
My sincerest condolences on the loss of your husband and father. Tom was a great man and will be fondly remembered. You are in my prayers.
I have very fond memories of Thom and Biff from our High School days and also at Corning Community college.
My prayers and condolences to the whole family
Carl Robords
Class of 66
Cindy and family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Please take some comfort in the fact that Thom gave the “fight” his all. Your family and friends will be there for you in the coming days, months and years.
Cindy, Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers during this sad time. Thom was a great friend. I miss him already.
Cindy and kids, our thoughts and prayers are with you. May god bless you
and comfort you at this time.Tom was a strong and wonderful husband and father, always keep those memories close to you hearts.
Cindy, Nicolette, Tommy, and Susie… You all are in my prayers and thoughts through this most difficult time. I am so very sorry for your loss, Thom was a wonderful man and will be missed greatly by all…
mr. berry was a wonderful man. i remember night with suzie at their house and when she was upset, her daddy was the person to turn too. even though i havent been close with the family in some time, my whole heart goes out to each one of them. papa berry was truely a hero and for that i will always have a place for him in my heart. and suzie if you ever need anything do not hesitate to call me at anytime of day or night. i love you all
Cindy,
We are thinking of you and your family in our thoughts and in our prayers.
Sincerely
Cindy and Children:
We are so sorry for your loss. He was a great Husband , Father and a great coach as my older son would say. You will all be in our thoughts and prayers through this most difficult time. Take care and God Bless You!!
My prayers and thoughts go out to the Berry family, in this time of sorrow.
Cindy and family, I was so sorry to hear about Tom. I wish there were words to express how sad I am for you.
You seem to be a strong woman with dealing with Tom’s illness and other termoil. I only hope you take time for yourself to deal with your grief, I know the kid’s need you now, you’ve carried a heavy load but take care of you! My prayers are with you all. He was blessed to have you all in his life. Liz Armeli
Jeana and Biff, Tom and I send our sincere thoughts and prayers to both of you on Tom’s death. We have known the Berry family our entire lives and you will be in our thoughts.
Debbie and Tom Gray
Cindy and family,
Please accept my condolences on the loss of your husband and father of your children, Thom. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
To all: Thank you for the very kind words, thoughts and condolences.
God Bless,