Well-Known Chattanooga Valley Couple Who Died 6 Days Apart Have Joint Service

A well-known Chattanooga Valley couple who died six days apart after a 53-year marriage had a joint funeral service on Wednesday.

Lawrence “Butch” Berry, 80, died Monday, Dec. 13. Peggy Berry, who was four years younger, passed away last Sunday.

It was originally planned to have Butch's funeral service on Monday. That was delayed for the joint service at Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church after Peggy's death.

A son-in-law, Jonathan Clark, told those who nearly filled the large sanctuary that the couple was the epitome of hospitality. He said Butch "knew everyone" and engaged them in conversation on his every outing in the valley.

He said he once asked Butch who he had just had a protracted conversation with, and he replied, "I don't know."

The speaker said Butch was "the self-proclaimed mayor of Flintstone."

Rev. Clark said Peggy's hospitality was centered on the home. He said, "Their door was always open" with their three daughters and their families often stopping in along with family friends and acquaintances.

He said Peggy's best day of the year was Christmas when the daughters and the many grandchildren all gathered at their Nancy Drive house.

A Mississippi native, Butch graduated from Mississippi State University. He retired from the U.S. Army as a major after 20 years as well as retiring from TVA after 29 years.

Peggy, who also hailed from Mississippi, was a longtime P.E. teacher in the Walker County Schools. She was a beloved softball coach taking teams to five state championships.

Those attending included Walker County Commission Chairman Shannon Whitfield, whose family long lived across the street from the Berrys. He was also at Butch's recent 80th birthday celebration at the same church.

After the service, the caskets were wheeled out of the church as the daughters, Brooks (Kevin Thompson), Aimee (Michael Evans) and Erin (Jonathan Clark) and their children and close friends followed. Butch's casket was covered with an American flag and Peggy's with a bevy of red roses. Interment followed immediately by staff of Heritage Funeral Home, Fort Oglethorpe, at Chattanooga National Cemetery with full military honors.