Philip "Phil" Berry

Philip Conway Berry, 91, of Ann Arbor, passed away at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor on Friday, August 6, 2021. He had successful heart surgery there in late June, however complications kept him in the hospital and eventually led to his death.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 15 at 2pm at Holy Faith Church, 6299 Ann Arbor-Saline Road in Saline, Michigan. The family invites all those who desire to celebrate Phil’s life to join us at that time and/or for a visitation at the church on Saturday, August 14 from 3-5pm.

A private inurnment of Phil’s ashes will take place at a later time.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, face masks will be required at the church. Additionally, a live Zoom link of the August 15 service will be available through the Muehlig Funeral Home web page dedicated to information about Phil’s arrangements: www.muehligannarbor.com, or by calling 734/663-3375.

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, Phil is survived by his wife Anne Beaubien, son Philip Kevin (Martha) of Bingham Farms, Michigan, and daughter Kathy (Tom) Irvin of Chatsworth, California, as well as four grandchildren: Michael Berry, Nicholas Berry, Sara Irvin, and Katie Irvin. He is also survived by his sister Peg (Don) Waterman of Chelsea, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his first wife Sally, who died in 1996.

Contributions in Phil’s memory would be welcomed at the Anne Beaubien Berry Scholarship Fund at the University of Michigan School of Information, Office of University Development, 3003 South State Street, Suite 9000, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109 or at www.leadersandbest.umich.edu. Phil and his wife Anne created this fund in 2007 to provide scholarship support for master’s degree students at the U of M School of Information.

THE LIFE OF PHILIP C BERRY

Born in Detroit on July 27, 1930, Phil was the elder child of Philip James Berry and Ruth Conway Berry. His only sibling, Margaret (Peg), was born in 1936.

After graduating from Redford High School, Phil attended University of Michigan as an undergraduate and was very active in student government at the local, regional, and national levels.

He went on to get an MBA from the University of Michigan in 1953 and then served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict immediately thereafter. His army service in Whittier, Alaska, introduced him to the natural beauty of that part of the country and launched his abiding love and interest in the 49th state.

Phil was a CPA by profession and enjoyed a long career with the firm now known as Ernst & Young. He joined the firm in 1955, became a partner in 1967 and retired, as the Partner in Charge of Partnership Affairs, from the firm’s national office in Cleveland in 1990.

He married Sara (Sally) Dunn of Birmingham, Michigan, in 1961. They welcomed two children into the world: Philip Kevin in 1963 and Kathleen Elizabeth in 1966. For Phil’s work, the family relocated several times, moving from Bloomfield Township, Michigan, to Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, and then to Moreland Hills, Ohio. After 34 years of marriage, Sally died of lung cancer in 1996.

At age 73, Phil happily found love again on a University of Michigan-sponsored trip to Ireland in 2003. He married Anne Beaubien of Ann Arbor in 2004. With Anne, he enjoyed living in his college town and taking advantage of all that Ann Arbor has to offer. Phil would seek out lectures of interest on campus. Together, the couple loved attending Glee Club concerts at Hill Auditorium, as well as University Musical Society and School of Theater, Music and Dance performances. In fact, their “true blue” love story was featured in a U of M alumni publication in February 2021: https://alumni.umich.edu/michigan-alumnus/maize-and-blue-i-dos/?utm_source=member&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fy21_newsletter_feb_2021&utm_content=maize_and_blue&userID=0031a00000IdI1MAAV

And, of course, the move to Ann Arbor made it easier for Phil to enjoy to the fullest his beloved Michigan Wolverine football team and the Big House season tickets that he’d had since 1961!

Phil and Anne loved to travel the world, most often via cruise ship. Anne published beautiful books that shared her photos and notes about each of the voyages, so that they could be fully remembered.

Phil’s other hobbies included collecting Canadian stamps, reading the Wall Street Journal, listening to classical music, and eating fine food. He especially enjoyed spending time with family and friends at the Canadian cottage on the north shore of Lake Erie that he purchased in 1965. Unfortunately, Phil had not been able to visit the cottage since August 2019 (due to COVID-19 restrictions).

His remains will be inurned at White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery in Troy, Michigan.