Diana Gay Berry—devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother—died on May 25, 2019 at the age of 76. Diana was born on August 29, 1942 in Okemah, Oklahoma to Cecil and Jessie Dye and was the oldest of three children. While living in Stillwater, Oklahoma she was widowed at the age of 18 with two young girls, Sherri and Debbie. After a successful blind date with Frank Berry, she was married in October 1962 and had three more children, Kim, Scott, and Mike.
Over the next 11 years, she successfully held her family of seven together as they moved around the country in support of Frank’s career with Aetna. In 1972, Diana and Frank moved to Alice, Texas where Frank joined a small insurance agency. As always, Diana’s priority was her young family, and she worked as a bookkeeper to help support them. In 1977, she supported Frank’s dream to move to Austin and start his own company. Together, the two founded Specialty Insurance Managers, Inc.—a business that has continued to thrive and support more than 65 employees for the last 43 years. It is not surprising that she was considered the matriarch of the company in her role as President, CFO, and HR specialist. Three of her five children continue to run the company to this day.
Diana loved calling Austin her home and surrounded herself with her family and dear friends. Her greatest joy was getting her 21 immediate family members together for family celebrations. Rarely can a picture be found that does not have Diana with her arms around a grandchild or great grandchild. She is survived by her husband Frank, her 5 children, 8 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. Her service will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Austin, Texas on Friday, May 31, 2019 at 1:00. She was an avid supporter of Salvation Army and Meals on Wheels. Donations to these charities would be appreciated in lieu of floral arrangements. Please visit her website at Cook Walden Funeral Home.
