Cecil Dewayne Berry was born on April 9th, 1948, in Coleman, Texas, to Cecil Weldon Berry and Sybil Lucille Landers, and peacefully passed away in his home in Coleman, Texas, on July 6th, 2024, at the age of 76.
Dewayne spent the majority of his childhood growing up in Coleman, surrounded by extended family on both the Berry and Landers sides of his family, as well as his sisters, Deborah (Berry) Barker, Dellene (Berry) Reid, and Diane Berry. He attended Coleman High School where he played French horn in the Big Blue Band alongside his high school sweetheart, Ina Jo Roberts. He played sports, formed a rock and roll band, and received Presidential Scholar and Valedictorian honors from CHS in 1966. On July 23rd of that same year, Dewayne married Ina Jo in Coleman at the Presbyterian Church (which is now Heritage Hall), and then moved to Austin, TX where Dewayne enrolled at the University of Texas where he later graduated with a degree in History and a minor in German. After graduation, he was hired in the data processing division of UT Austin where he worked as a computer programmer.
On February 20, 1967, Dewayne and Ina welcomed their first son, and the first of six children, Spencer Dewayne Berry. Succeeding Spencer in birth were four daughters: Anna, Rebekah, Elizabeth, and Sarah…followed by Jackson Roberts Berry, their last son – and final “Berry kid” – born in 1990. Throughout their almost 58-year-marriage, the Berrys raised their children in Liberty Hill, TX, Flagstaff, AZ, and Peaster, TX. In every community in which they would find themselves, Dewayne could be found at the piano – surrounded by singers and rooting for local high school teams. In 2012, Dewayne and Ina returned to their roots in Coleman, Texas, known as “Daddio” and “Mama Jo” to grandkids, other family and friends. In Coleman, Dewayne continued to work for Weatherford College as a programmer. Dewayne followed Ina Jo’s lead into joining the CHAPS Board in 2023 for which they both committed the majority of their spare time in preserving Heritage Hall and revitalizing the use of the Coleman Museum as a space for all of the arts – especially live music, and where Dewayne spear-headed the “Singer/Song-Writer Series” hosted by CHAPS beginning that same year.
Dewayne was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Sybil, his youngest sister, Cecilia Diane Berry, and his oldest son, Spencer. He is survived by his wife, Ina Jo of Coleman; his daughter-in-law, Renee Roe-Berry, and granddaughter, Katie Berry, of Austin, and grandson, Robert Alec Spencer Berry, and his wife, Laurie, of Granbury; daughter, Anna Berry Henderson, son-in-law, Danny Henderson, granddaughter, Maddie Henderson, and fiancée, Garrett Ellsworth, of Boise, and granddaughter, Sophia Henderson, of San Marcos; daughter, Rebekah Rauser, son-in-law, Eric Rauser, and grandson, Gus Rauser, of Austin; daughter, Lizzy Berry, grandson, Otis Wagner, and granddaughter, Lulu Berry Fritsch, of Coleman; daughter, Sarah Gonzales, son-in-law, Kevin Gonzales, and grandson, Isaac Gonzales, of Millsap; and son, Jackson Berry, and fiancée, Claudia Maltos, of New Haven, CT.
Along with his two sisters, Dewayne is also survived by a large, loving family of nieces and nephews, grand-fur-babies, siblings-in-law, in-laws, in-laws of in-laws, and a life’s-worth of friends and acquaintances as his life was a true testament of love: love for his family, love for music, love for his community, and a commitment to his belief that everyone is deserving of love and respect. He was known for his intellect and his musical talent, quick wit and dark humor, his sage wisdom and generosity. He was kind, just, and a good listener – the consummate diplomat – lending his peace-keeping skills whenever requested. He was a life-time interviewer: a question-asker – the consummate thinker. “Far out” and “square.” Always interested in whomever he was speaking to in the moment. Dewayne’s legacy is a joy for life carried by music, and he lives on through Ina and his children and grandchildren, who carry forward his values and memories.
The family invites you to celebrate Dewayne aka Daddio, at 2:00pm on Saturday, July 13th, at CHAPS Heritage Hall. Arrangements are entrusted to Stevens Funeral Home, 400 W. Pecan Street, in Coleman. We invite you to share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with the Berry family by signing the guestbook on Dewayne’s tribute page at www.stevensfuneralhome.com. Stevens Funeral Home is honored to serve the Berry family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to CHAPS (Coleman Heritage, Arts, and Preservation Society). Daddio would have liked that.