Stanley T. Berry | May 1928 – February 2023

Longtime Woodinville resident Stan Berry died Feb. 2, 2023 at the age of 94. He was born May 5, 1928 in Huntington Park, CA, to Sam and Helen (Plumb) Berry. The family moved to Woodinville in 1935 and became happily rooted in the community. Stan attended Woodinville schools through 9th grade and Bothell High School (Class of ’46).

During his senior year, Stan joined the army and served as an M.P. stationed in Richland, WA. There he was quickly recruited to work shipment security (Health and Instrumentation Specialist) for the Atomic Energy Commission. For the next few years he escorted shipments of plutonium to destinations across the U.S.

He married his high school sweetheart, Gladys Peterson, on April 3, 1948 (She chased him ‘til he caught her) and they were inseparable for the next 68 years. They returned to Woodinville in 1949 and moved into their little house on Waage Road (now 132nd Avenue Northeast) in April 1949–just in time to welcome Stanley Jr. into the world. They would live there for the next 55 years. A second son, Wesley, was born in April 1950, and Bradley joined the family in 1959.

In those early, lean years, Stan worked as an industrial carpenter in the Seattle area. Then, in 1958, he joined his brother and cousin as a partner at KD Carpet. From their Elliot Bay location, KD installed floor covering in some of the finest homes in the region (primarily for customers of Fredrick & Nelson). They also installed the very first stadium astroturf in the nation, laying turf at Memorial Stadium in ‘67 and Husky Stadium in ’68 (15’ wide rolls of turf with hand-sewn seams, and the stretcher bars braced against a VW Bus).

In 1976 Stan and Gladys opened Berry’s Floor Décor in downtown Woodinville, where they enjoyed being at the center of the community they loved. Nothing was more important than marching in the April Fool’s Day Parade dressed as a roll of carpet.

Stan and Gladys were lifelong members of Woodinville Community Methodist Church. As a child, Stan and his family attended the original church located across the street from the historic Woodinville Cemetery. They held a deep commitment to their faith and cherished their church family. They could be found at almost every potluck, social night, Bible study, Christmas bazaar, work party or committee meeting. They also enjoyed camping, hunting and fishing with friends and family; playing cards with their Bridge group; and traveling across the United States and around the world. Stan also enjoyed woodworking, and he spent his golden years making wooden puzzles and toys.

Beautiful Gladys passed away in 2016 and thereafter Stan spent a few years at Brittany Park Retirement Community in Woodinville, enjoying the company of several close friends. His church family stayed beside him too, particularly Dick Zorns and Lee Minea.

Stan cherished his family above all else. He once flew to the South Pacific to watch an atom bomb test–a classic, iridescent, mushroom cloud explosion. When telling the story he said,

“It wasn’t impressive as far as I was concerned…I’ve had some experiences that outweighed that one by quite a bit. Yeah, I got married. That was a lot more exciting than that trip over there. We had three children. The birth of our kids was a lot more exciting than that…”

He was preceded in death by his wife, Gladys, and sons Stan Jr. and Wes. He is survived by his son Brad (Liz) of Olympia, WA; Daughters-in-law Wendy Christian of Whitefish, MT, and Karen Berry of Wilkeson, WA; grandchildren Joey Henderson Johnsen (Gregg) of Los Angeles, CA, Brian Henderson-Berry (Jessica) of Columbia Falls, MT, Stein Berry (Marissa) of Coeur d'Alene, ID, Kate Berry (Eric) and Michelle Berry of Whitefish, MT, Sean Berry (Kaity) of Castlerock, WA, Michael Berry (Leslie) of Mt. Vernon, WA, Jeromy Condon (Lisa) of Enumclaw, WA, and Josh Condon of Wilkeson, WA. He is also survived by ten great-grandchildren.

If you peek through the Pearly Gates, you’ll see Stan sitting in the Light. He has a sweet, old cat in his lap and he’s chatting with Jim Wight. There’s a little sawdust on his jeans that he needs to dust off before Gladys arrives. But he’s got a minute or two–‘cause she’s baking cookies while she chats with Betty Bundy, and she’s running late…again. That’s okay. He’s happy to wait.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 25 at Woodinville Community Methodist Church.