John Steven Berry

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Berry, John Steven age 66, of Pelican Township, passed away January 28, 2017. Preceded in death by parents Phebe Benson and Tony Turitto; sister Marsha and brother Mark; grandma Benson and Ma Zwack. Survived by his greatest joys, sons, Ben (Abby) and Pete (Jane); the loves of his life Nancy Olson and dog Bolt; stepmother, Darlene Turitto; brothers, Reuven Berry, Tony Turitto (Lori), Ron Carroll; sisters, Gina Turitto (Dale Vogel), Tonja Turitto (Mitch Vance), and Sherron Ellis; nieces and nephews, Mandi (Jerett), Nick (Rachel) Emily, James (Kim), Jim and Christian (Katie); great nieces and nephews, Taylor, Dylan, Stephanie, Aidan, Luca, Nora, Carson and Brinkley. Also survived by the Rasmussen family; Larry (Ling), Matt (Jennifer), Mike, Dave (Kara), Sam, Jordan (Jackie), Madison, Bryn, Lochlyn, Austin, Ryan, Averey, Adam, Alison, Molly; and the Zwack family, Neil (Bonnie), Gerald (Lou), Dwayne (Shaun), Jean (Mike), Donna, Susan, Joe (Alexa), David, Jesse, Matt, Mitchell, Stacey, Jennifer, Josh, Joseph, Jason, Tony, Denny, Alison, Kelly, Hilary, Andy, Heidi, Duggins, Hannah, Holly, Steven, Hattie, Nate, Abbi, Marli and Harper and many lifelong friends. John had the best neighbors anyone could imagine; Larry and Ling Rasmussen, Gerald Zwack and Lou Owens, and Doug and Billie Jo Rach. He was so thankful for them and their willingness to help with anything that was needed and more! John loved greatly and was greatly loved. His family and friends meant the world to him. John's son Ben, expressed the following sentiments about his dad: "The greatest gift my dad ever gave me was his nearly supernatural ability and wisdom to surround himself with friends who are the sweetest, the kindest, and the most loyal. Friends who may as well be family"; "I got a childhood with a father who I never doubted loved me entirely. I got a role model that I could disagree with, loudly, repeatedly, at length, and still respect." John was a devoted father that was involved with his boys from changing diapers, to teaching them what is was like to live in the woods. How to make a campfire and what to watch for as they walked on the trails. John took the boys fishing on the docks at Breezy Point Resort, when the boys were so little. He was patient and was proud of every cast and "almost catch" they made. He was always a proud dad. John was a graduate of Hopkins High School. He was a truck driver for the Star Tribune and retired after 30 years. John was a fan of boxing and MMA. He loved working at the Virgil Hill fights with Virgil's trainer Al Larsien and his brother Tony and later the MMA fights with Tony and Jon Hegre. John gained a love of nature and his green thumb from his Grandma Benson. He started going "Up North" to the Zwack family cabin and fell in love with the land. He especially enjoyed giving nature tours and sharing his knowledge of the land and passed his love on to many others. John proved to be a good supervisor to his friends as they built his cabin and then his dream home in the woods. John opened his home to many friends and family and hosted many fun gatherings; Deer Camps, woodcutting weekends, ice fishing contests, "3G" weekends. During the 3G (Grouse, Golf, Gambling) weekends, John would welcome the guys and then settle into being the camp cook. He often had ribs slow cooking. Early morning Grouse walks turned into Golf afternoons, and then after a fine meal, the cards would come out (poker games, 1-2-3, and "Guts" were played into the wee hours of the morning). Whether it was missing a putt, driving a ball into the woods, or getting a bad hand in a card game, John had the same thing to say, "I hate everything!" Hundreds have enjoyed his amazing view and sharing stories while seated around the fire on his patio (where his famous line, "I may have exaggerated just a little" was often heard). John loved riding his 4-wheeler down all the trails on his and his neighbors' land. Dressed in his suspenders and leather hat, his sweet girl, Bolt (aka Boltie) leading the way, with ears flapping and a big grin on her face!! She would look back to see that John was following and then take off running again. John would stop and talk to any of the neighbors he came upon. He would turn off his 4-wheeler, and with a big smile on his face, would say, "Hi neighbor, What's new? "Tell me everything". Another statement from Ben, reads as follows: "To me he was a warrior, and a wise man. A scoundrel and a sweetheart. To most of you he was likely just Johnny. A good man, and a better friend. Plain and yet exceptional in every way. We're all correct." A celebration of John's life is being planned for late Spring.

Published on February 19, 2017