Bill Berry & Mary Gyori selling raffle tickets at Fair Day, 2001

Bill Berry of Wardsboro, VT was a tireless advocate for three charitable causes when he lived full time in Vermont, from 1997-2005: Grace Cottage Hospital, Vermont Public Radio, and Habitat for Humanity (he was the founder of the West River Habitat chapter). When Bill became passionate about a charity, he invested himself fully, donating his boundless energy, his contagious enthusiasm, and his financial contributions.

A native of Queens, NY, Bill attended Lehigh University for two years before serving in the US Navy in submarine service. He finished college at Hofstra University in 1958 and began a career in sales. In 1969, he and a partner formed Braberry Sales Corp., an industrial machine-tool replacement parts company based on Long Island. When Bill retired from the business world in 1995, he joined the Peace Corp’s business program, and spent two years consulting in Olsztyn, Poland. Upon his return, he moved year-round to his home in Wardsboro and started volunteering at Grace Cottage Foundation in any way that he could - in one weekend during July, 2000, this one man sold 1,000 raffle tickets for a new woodsplitter donated by Dr. Backus (Bill had a few adventures while backing up his truck with the woodsplitter in tow!). He wrote letters to everyone he knew, far and wide, soliciting donations to Grace Cottage, and he came up with at least one new idea every week about how to increase donations to the hospital.

When Bill learned that he was suffering from cancer in late 2004, he first refused to let it cramp his style; he and a friend visited the Galapagos Islands in November. Bill chose to spend his last weeks in Grace Cottage’s hospice suite, and he constantly praised the entire Grace Cottage staff for the care he received. He died peacefully on March 28, 2005.

Bill divided his IRA and the bulk of his estate equally between his three favorite charities, and Grace Cottage has already received $81,000 from his IRA distribution, with Bill’s estate distribution still to arrive. A grateful hospital will not forget Bill Berry - a plaque will be mounted on our memorial wall in his honor.