[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 70 (Monday, April 28, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       APPRECIATING WILLIAM BERRY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 28, 2025

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on April 12th, South 
Carolina lost a son. I am grateful for William Berry's service to the 
country and state and my thoughts and prayers go to his family and 
friends.
  I include in the Record, his loving obituary, which has been 
published by the Folk Funeral Home:

       A memorial service for William Grady ``Bill'' Berry, 69, 
     will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 2:00 pm at Folk 
     Funeral Home in Williston. The family will receive friends 
     one hour prior to the service. The memorial service will be 
     officiated by Dr. Thomas Terry and Dr. William A. Sandifer. 
     Honorary pallbearers will be Ricky Black; Dodd Buie, III; 
     Robert Lowman, Jr.; and Phillip B. Ness. A private interment 
     will be held at a later date at the Blackville Cemetery.
       Bill Berry passed away at MUSC, Charleston, with his sister 
     and niece by his side. He was a resident of Barnwell, SC. 
     Born in Augusta, GA, he was the son of the late Anita Johnson 
     Berry and James T. ``Pete'' Berry of Blackville. Bill 
     graduated from Jefferson Davis Academy, Presbyterian College, 
     and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He 
     attended Presbyterian (PC) on an academic and athletic 
     scholarship. He was an Eagle Scout. At Jefferson Davis 
     Academy, he was chosen as the male student to enter the JDA 
     Senior Class Hall of Fame in 1974. In his senior year at PC, 
     he was selected as captain of the football team. He was a 
     member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and a member of the track 
     team.
       Bill Berry earned a Juris Doctor (JD) at the University of 
     South Carolina School of Law. After being admitted to the 
     South Carolina Bar, he started the Public Defender Office for 
     Bamberg and Barnwell Counties and served as Chief Public 
     Defender and Guardian Ad Litem for abused and neglected 
     children.
       He was accepted into the United States Army Judge Advocate 
     General's Corps (JAG Corps). As an Army Captain, he served in 
     Panama prior to Operation Just Cause. After his Army service, 
     Bill opened a law practice in Myrtle Beach, SC. Bill loved 
     sports throughout his life, especially football. He was a 
     loyal Gamecock fan.
       Surviving are his sister Kathy Berry Orr (Tom Gantt) and 
     his niece Kathryn Liana (Orr) Gantt.

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