Reverend Cornelius Berry Jr.

Rev. Cornelius O. Berry, Jr.

Memorial Service

Saturday, October 10, 2020

11:00 AM Service (MST-Mountain Standard Time)

Time Zone Equivalents:

Pacific Time (PT):  10:00 AM

Central Time (CT): 12:00 noon

Eastern Standard Time (EST): 1:00 PM

The Link for Cornelius O. Berry, Jr. live Memorial Service will be provided the evening before (Friday) of the service on Saturday.

Please note:

The live stream for the memorial  will start 15 minuets  prior to the service start time.

CORNELIUS OLIVER BERRY, JR.

January 8, 1954-September 1, 2020

Cornelius (Neil) Berry, Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey, on January 8, 1954, to Cornelius O. Berry, Sr. and Lois Berry.

Early in life, Neil was a star athlete in high school and excelled in football. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1979. Neil attended the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, CA and received a Master of Divinity in 1987.

Neil was ordained as a Presbyterian Minister at Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church in Richmond, California. He received his first church call in Flint, MI, at Christ the Liberator Presbyterian Church, USA.

While Rev. Berry was the pastor at Christ the Liberator, he met his beloved wife Denise (Mitchell) at a gathering reception. They spent several years in holy matrimony. Neil was a devoted husband and father.

In addition to his pastoring churches in Flint and Indianapolis, Rev. Berry extended his ministry to San Diego, CA at Christ United Presbyterian Church, USA and maintained his membership in good standing with the Presbyterian Church USA. In retirement, he continued to serve churches in Los Angeles, Oakland and the San Francisco Bay area. At the time of his death, Rev. Berry was a member of the Denver Presbytery. He continued ministry with several churches in the Denver area to include, most recently, Bethel Presbyterian Church, USA and was an active member of the Racial Ethnic Diversity (RED) committee.

Rev. Berry believed that life was a "palisading pilgrimage of faith in Christ and humanity" and dedicated his life's work to service the spiritual needs of others as well as to fight for social justice for all people.

Cornelius Oliver Berry, Jr. is proceeded in death by his father, Cornelius Oliver Berry, Sr, uncle, Creighton Berry, Cousin Andrea Berry and his beloved maternal aunt, Theodora Palmer.

He leaves behind his Mother, Lois Berry - Logwood, his Wife, Denise Berry, son Benjamin Berry, and daughter Christal Berry. Sisters Jocelyn Johnson, Alison (Christopher) Givens, niece, and nephew Taylore and Jared Givens. Brother-In-Law Derryl (Faye) Mitchell, niece, and nephew Austin and Andrea Mitchell, cousins April Berry, and goddaughter, Jessica Berry, cousin Francesca Lujan, and a host of family and beloved friends.

In Person and Virtual Service @ Pipkin Braswell Chapel Of Peace 10/10/2020

https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/san-francisco-theological-seminarys-first-full-time-african-american