Funeral services for Winston Berry, 62 of Portales will be at 10:00 AM, Thurs, Dec. 7, 2017 at the Emmanuel Baptist Church with Pastor James Robbins officiating, assisted by Rev. David Taylor. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Glenn Johnson, Donnie Hardin, Lee Plant, Alan Roberts, Dan Greathouse and Ronnie Johns serving as pallbearers. The employees of ACE Hardware and the members of the VFW and American Legion will serve as honorary pallbearers. The family requests that donations be made to Roosevelt County 4-H, 705 E. Lime, Portales, NM 88130 to be used for scholarships in Winston’s memory. The family will receive guests at the family home in the afternoons.
Winston Hugh Berry was born Aug. 29, 1955 in Portales, to the home of Quada and Bill Berry, and died peacefully at his home in Portales on the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2017. Winston grew up in Portales, and graduated from Portales High School in 1973. On Dec. 31, 1976, at the First Baptist Church in Portales he was married to Kim Bloodworth. Winston graduated from E.N.M.U. in 1994 with a degree in Education. While attending college, he worked as a butcher at Food Town and later at Parkway Grocery. He also worked part of that time at True Value Hardware.
In 1998, Winston began teaching 4th grade at Valencia. In 2004 he left his teaching career, and became Associate Pastor of Youth and Education at First Baptist Church. He became Assistant Administrator at the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home in 2009, and served there until 2012. Most recently Winston was employed at ACE Hardware.
Winston was ordained as a Deacon in 1998, and was later ordained as a Minister of the Gospel. He and his wife were members of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Winston first became involved in the High Plains Emmaus Community in July 2014 when he attended Men’s Walk #27. From that time on he was very involved in the organization. One of his dreams was to be able to serve on an Emmaus Team, and he was able to fulfill that goal in July of this year when he served as a Prayer Warrior.
Winston was a devoted son, husband and father, but he counted his greatest achievement as becoming PaPa to his two grandsons, Cody and Brandon. If Winston had a hobby, it was following those two boys as they played sports and competed in their shooting events.
He is survived by Kim, his wife of nearly 41 years of the home; a son, Jeremy Berry of Portales and a daughter, Kylee Berry of Portales; his two grandsons, Cody Lane Webster and Brandon Todd Webster; his mother, Quada Berry of Portales; and a brother and sister-in-law, Lonnie and Susan Berry of Portales; his nephew Brian Berry and his wife, Jena and their children Michael, Emilee and Bria. He is also survived by numerous very close family friends. He was preceded in death by his father, William “Bill” Berry who died in 2002.
We were so sorry to hear of Winstons passing. I’ve known him since he was a little boy and he has always been a kind person. Our prayers are with you all.