Shelby Jessica Berry

Shelby Jessica Tadych was born in Denver, Colorado on the morning of Wednesday, December 6, 1995. Shelby Jessica (Tadych) Berry left us on July 12, 2025 for the loving arms of Jesus.

Those are the facts, but the following is some of her story.

She was a happy baby and then toddler, loving and content. Even as a toddler she loved dressing up, draping herself in necklaces and looking pretty. She was the flower girl at the marriage of her teenage parents, running (not walking) up the aisle in her pretty little dress, and then not wanting to take it off at bedtime. In contrast, she loved crawling into her grandpa’s cowboy boots that covered her entire legs, as she clomped around the house.

In 1998, her brother Spencer was born, and Shelby naturally took on the role of companion, protector, and second mama, a close loving relationship that lasted until the end of her short life.

She was full of sunshine, sweetness, and giggles, with a zest for life, described by her mother (a teen at the birth) as an “old soul”, who helped her mother navigate life. She lit up every room with her smile and warmth. If she was in the room, you felt it; if she was not present, she was missed.

As too often happens on this side of heaven, Ryan and Karen’s marriage ended when Shelby and her little brother were quite young. However, they both continued to be loved and embraced into the separate lives of their parents, stepparents, all grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

During summer visits to one set of her grandparents in another town, Shelby enjoyed Vacation Bible School at their church along with her little brother and a younger cousin. At the end of one of those fun-filled, inspirational, and musical weeks, as their grandmother was driving them from the church, Shelby, in the front seat, told her grandma she believed the words of one of her favorite songs and she wanted to pray about it. When they got home, the younger ones scurried off to play, and Shelby, always more mature than her age, sat beside her grandma as they read scripture together, and Shelby prayed for Jesus to forgive her sins, and she invited Him into her life. She was on the cusp of Middle School.

In 2007, her mother remarried and Shelby gained another father, Rod, and new sister Summer, an exciting new time in her life. In 2010, her father passed away unexpectedly. Shortly after this, Shelby gained a new little sister, Sydney and then a new little brother, Soren.

Shelby was an excellent student, excelling in every endeavor in elementary, middle, high school and university. She graduated near the top of her class at Legend High School in 2014. She went on to attend Denver Metropolitan State University for a time, and eventually graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS degree in Nursing from Platt School of Nursing in 2024. She became a nurse at Parker Adventist Hospital (Advent Health), where she was loved by her patients and co-workers. She worked at Costco in Parker for ten years prior to her nursing career, where she was a valued employee and friend to many, a time which she greatly enjoyed.

She met her husband Bryant shortly after high school and they married in 2019. She was madly in love with Bryant and they shared a happy and content marriage, which was apparent to everyone around them. They had recently celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary, and had exciting plans and goals for their future. They enjoyed many adventures together, including concerts, ski days, camping trips, and long weekends away with good friends.

She loved her parents, siblings, family, and friends fiercely, without judgment, and with her whole heart. She was smart, beautiful, kind, generous and funny, a gifted artist, good friend and coworker, and the absolute best dog mom. She was always the one to point out the bright side of every situation, no matter how awkward or terrible, and made friends easily everywhere she went.

In the here and now, on this side of heaven, we will do our best to honor her life with mindful living. We know we must live every day to its absolute fullest with JOY and GRACE and LOVE, because, as we have been so suddenly reminded, life is fragile, and we will never know when we wake up if the day ahead is our last.

We rest in the promise of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” John 11:25

He is our only hope, and we put our trust in Him.

Shelby is preceded in death by her father, Shelby Ryan Tadych (2010).

She is survived by her loving husband Bryant Berry and his family; by her loving mother and stepfather – Karen & Rod Hepp, brothers Spencer Tadych and Soren Hepp, sisters Sydney Hepp and Summer Ducatte and her husband Joey; Grandparents Robin and Deborah Barnum and Albert and Naydean Julch, along with many cousins, aunts, uncles, and numerous friends.