This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! This verse was the battle cry and the last words spoken by Lounora Poochie Johnston Berry. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family on December 14, 2009. Poochie was born January 12, 1934 in Memphis, TN, to Russell B. and Ruth Williams Johnston. She was two when her family settled in Columbus, where her father established the furniture company that is now Johnston Tombigbee Furniture Manufacturing. Her love of dogs and horses earned her the nickname Poochie, by which she was affectionately known all her life. She began riding horses as a young girl. Fox hunting was her passion, but she also competed in dressage, cross country and stadium jumping. She donated her favorite ( and prizewinning ) horse, Galway Bay to U.S. Olympic Team rider Jimmy Walford. In addition to raising foxhounds, the Berrys were among the first to bring Jack Russell Terriers to this area. Poochie was also an avid tennis player. She and her husband Charles were charter members of the Magnolia Tennis Club, where she competed for nearly 30 years. As a sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Poochies first commitment was to her family. She also found time to embrace community service. She served as vice-president and past president of the Columbus Junior Auxiliary. She was a former member of the Four Seasons Garden Club. She served on the Board of the Lowndes County Library. Poochies strong faith is evident in the many ways she served the church. At St. Pauls Episcopal Church, she was past president of the Women of the Church, Altar Guild, St. Annes Club and Daughters of the King. She was also a Lay Eucharistic Minister. At the Church of the Good Shepherd, she served as a Lay Minister, on the Braille Society, member of the Mission Committee, in charge of the Altar Flowers, helped with Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, and hosted a Bible Study in her home. She also has served in Prison Ministry and cooked many meals for the St. Jude Hospital families. Poochie was a gifted interior designer, floral designer and self-taught culinary master. She was a former owner of Johnston Showrooms and Lounora Berry and Associates. The consummate hostess, she showed her love to friends and family by cooking gourmet meals. One of the highlights of her later years was to attend the Emeril Lagasse cooking show in New York, where she sat in the front row and met him personally. She is preceded in death by her parents, Russell B. Johnston and Ruth Williams Johnston, and her grandson Taylor Scott Berry. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Charles E. Berry; her sister Jerry Johnston Gadol of Dallas, TX; four sons: Charles Russell (Pat), Thomas Scott (Ruth), Jerryld Reau (Kelli), and Edward Duke (Laura Beth); nine grandchildren: Russell (Audrey), Laurabeth Berry Harris (Drew), Rebecca Berry Scott (Clifton), Julia Johnston Markle (Russ), Brooks (Catlin), Francis Elizabeth, Chance Timothy and Miranda Jane Berry; and six great-grandchildren. The funeral Service will be held at 11:00 Wednesday December 16, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, with the Rev. Sandra DePriest officiating. Pallbearers will be John Murfee of Nashville, TN; David Waters of Meridian, MS; Marion Lloyd Waters of Meridian, MS; Mike Waters of Columbus, Ine Waters of Dallas, TX; Russell Berry and Brooks Berry of Columbus. Honorary Pallbearers will be Mrs. Henry Weiss, Mrs. Dai Waters Wilson, Mrs. Joyce Brown, Dr. Marilyn Swingle, Rev. Sandra DePriest, all of Columbus, and Mrs. Rae Hill of Tuscaloosa, AL; Mrs. Fran Powers of Lake Village, AK; Mrs. Jami Calaway of Ethelsville, AL, the members of the Church of the Good Shepherd Braille Society, Dr. John Whitecar Dr. John E. Reed and Dr. Robert H. Jones. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Church of the Good Shepherd, 321 Forrest Blvd., Columbus, MS 39702.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lounora Johnston Berry, please visit our flower store.
