Berry Wimberly

Berry Jack Wimberly 12/12/20 - 11/17/10

Born: 12/12/20 in Choctaw County, Alabama, the youngest child of Thomas Ezekiel Wimberley and Avrilla N. Gibson. Siblings: Tom, Claude, and Glen Wimberley, Lyda Lee W. Massey. Married: Annette Cynthia Sutphin (d) 2/19/44. Three children: Marie W. Nolan, Joyce W. Monger (d), Berry Jack Wimberly II (d) . He is survived by his daughter Marie, sister-in-law Beatrice Brown Wimberley, grandchildren Barry J. Nolan (Patti,) David T. Nolan, Mark J. Wimberly (Rose,) Shannon W. Gerwig (Erik,) Todd W. Monger (Lorri,) four great grandchildren and three generations of beloved nieces and nephews.

Jack grew up in Silas, Alabama, and was the youngest of five children. He loved the South, it was always "home." Later in life, he made sure to show his wife, children, and grandchildren the beauty and history of the area, everywhere from Dauphin Island to the Mississippi Delta to Lookout Mountain. He was educated at Livingston State Teachers College (now University of West Alabama,) and the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his commission in the US Navy. It was while studying at Livingston that he decided to drop the second "e" from his surname, perhaps an assertion of his budding individualism.

He served on the USS Conklin during WWII and the USS Sarasota during the Korean War. Beginning as an enlisted man, Mr. Wimberly was chosen to attend Officer Candidate School and achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He remained in the Naval Reserves and was called to active duty at the outbreak of the Korean War. It was during WWII that he met his future wife, Ann, in Washington, D.C. They married after only 5 months, and were together for 64 years. They made their home and raised their family in Falls Church, Virginia.

After service in WWII, he began his 36 year career with the Bell System, starting as a lineman/installer. Having many opportunities within "Ma Bell," he progressed to Communications Engineer, implementing secured systems for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. Working on the NASCOM Networks team at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey in the 1960s, he designed, developed and patented transistor technology which was used by NASA for the Apollo11 Manned Space Flight to the moon, a very proud moment in his life.

Mr. Wimberly was an active member of his Virginia community. In his early days with C&P Telephone Co., he was Union Steward for his local chapter. Progressing to management, he never forgot the concerns of non-management. He was a Little League baseball coach and team manager for many years, loving that sport as well as football. As an early and active member of Graham Road United Methodist Church, he sang in the choir and served on many church committees, working tirelessly at fundraising to purchase land and erect the original church building. He belonged to the Elks club where he participated in outreach programs such as the children's summer camp program, and enjoyed the dinners and dancing and companionship of neighbors and friends. Jack especially loved his summer house, The Cottage, on the Chesapeake Bay: he and Ann served many a crab feast, boated, and had their special time with grandchildren.

They moved to Orlando, Fla. in 1979 after Jack transferred to AT&T, remaining there after his retirement in the mid 1980s. Jack and Ann made their trips to Alabama and "up north" to see family and friends, and went on to entertain and enjoy great grandchildren and others in their Orlando home. Disney World fascinated them as much as it did the children, their fascination being, however, with the wonders of the technology behind the scenes. Both appreciated just how far we all had come from their childhood days of oil lamps. In the last years of his life, Jack suffered from congestive heart disease and the residual effects of a stroke he had survived in 1989, and had developed early stage Alzheimer's disease.


Mr. Wimberly's sorrows included the loss of their son, Jack, in 1982, daughter, Joyce, in 2004, the loss of his beloved wife on November 15, 2007, and the loss of all his siblings and many in-laws.

Both Jack and Ann have the love of so many, and will be remembered and missed. From their Arthur Murray dance lessons, their love of big band music, football and baseball, good faith, food, and fellowship with family and friends, and an exceedingly long Christmas card list, they had a full and rewarding life. Rest in peace, Beloveds.