Ralph Lawson Berry^{[1, 2, 3]}

1883 - 1951  (68 years)

• Name	Ralph Lawson Berry
  Born	10 Jan 1883
  Gender	Male
  Died	8 Mar 1951
  Buried	Mount Olive Cemetery, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee   [4]
  Person ID	I122252	Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest
  Last Modified	9 Sep 2013

  
  

  Father	William Lawson Berry,   b. 10 Dec 1851,   d. 7 Dec 1930  (Age 78 years)
  Mother	Miranda Jane McMillian,   b. 10 May 1862,   d. 28 Nov 1959  (Age 97 years)
  Family ID	F76368	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family	Myrtle Etheline Henderlight,   b. 10 Jul 1889,   d. 4 Apr 1970  (Age 80 years)
  Married	1905
  Children	+ 1. Thelma Berry,   b. Abt 1907, Tennessee ,   d. Bef 6 Jun 2003  (Age ~ 96 years) + 2. Senator Fred O. Berry,   b. 6 Nov 1912,   d. 13 Aug 1976  (Age 63 years)   3. Clara Berry + 4. Earl Harvey Berry,   b. Abt 1918,   d. 17 Sep 2006, Crestwood Medical Center, Huntsville, Alabama  (Age ~ 88 years) + 5. Ralph Lawson Berry, Jr.,   b. 17 Sep 1920,   d. 19 Nov 1984, Baptist Hospital  (Age 64 years)
  Family ID	F44820	Group Sheet

  
  

• Event Map		Buried - - Mount Olive Cemetery, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee  = Link to Google Maps   = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		b0122252.jpg
  		a0122252.jpg

  
  

• Sources

  [S106] The Mountain Press, 14 Feb 2003. Fred Ogle Berry, Jr. obituary [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 17 Sep 2006. Earl H. Berry obituary [S26] Berry Funeral Home, (www.berryfuneralhome.com). Ralph L. Berry, Sr. was President and founder of the Ralph L. Berry Funeral Home on September 20, 1928. Ralph was the son of William Lawson Berry and Miranda Jane McMillian Berry. Prior to entering funeral service in 1917, Ralph was employed in the family molding sand operation in the Mt. Olive Community. On a cold icy Sunday morning, Ralph slipped and fell on the steps at Mt. Olive Baptist Church and severely injured his back. When Ralph tried to return to work he found that he could no longer endure the physical labor required filling the railroad cars with the sand deposits. Mr. E.B. Mann, a local undertaker, offered him a job finishing caskets. In those days the caskets were shipped unfinished by rail and the handles and other hardware had to be placed on the casket at the funeral home. He was employed with E.B. Mann for several years and later with Weaver-Sallings-Mikels Funeral Home. In 1924, Ralph received his embalmers license and chose the funeral profession as his ministry. Ralph lived and conducted himself by the Golden Rule. He established his business on friendships, trust, and goodwill to his fellow man. He set the standard by which all the Berry family has followed. Ralph was a member and Deacon of Mount Olive Baptist Church and trustee of the Mount Olive Cemetery. He was active in the Masonic Lodge and other civic organizations. He married Myrtle Henderlight in 1905 and was the father of five children, Thelma Berry Ford, Clara Berry Bolin, Fred Sr., Earl H., and Ralph L. Jr., all of which served in some capacity at the funeral home. [S147] Find a Grave, (Memorial: 14668582).