Garry VandenBerg

Garry VandenBerg passed peacefully in the company of his family on 16 July 2016. Born Gerardus Johannes on Holy Thursday, April 17, 1924 to Dutch immigrants parents, he was the fourth of six children. He and his siblings were sent home to Holland to their grandparents during the depression, but returned to attend school in Patterson, NJ. Renamed Garry by the nuns, he would be known by that name throughout the rest of his life. He joined the Navy in April of 1941. He recommissioned USS HOWARD, a WWI-era four piper destroyer in Norfolk, VA and sailed her in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Underway the day after Pearl Harbor, he would serve on the HOWARD for the entire Second World War. He and his shipmates escorted convoys in the Atlantic during the very dark days of the war, participated in the Naval Battle for Casablanca, and - after completing an inter-fleet transfer - supported many of the decisive Naval operations in the Pacific Theater. He met his wife of 48 years, Athanassia “Ethel” in 1947, while assigned as an NROTC Instructor at Harvard University. Sent back to sea at the outbreak of the Korean Conflict, Ethel would wait several years for him to return. They were married at Sts. Constantine and Helena Greek Orthodox Church in Cambridge, MA on August 31, 1954. After marrying, they lived happily in Newport, RI; Pascagoula, MS; Alameda, CA, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; Norfolk, VA and Chesapeake Beach, MD before retiring as a Master Chief Petty Officer with over 32 years of service to the Navy and the Nation. Garry and his family settled in New Canton, VA where he remodeled a home that was originally built in the early 1800's. He and Ethel entertained family and friends from many parts of the world during their 31 years in their home. Truly dedicated to the Virgin Mary whom he credited with ensuring his safety during two wars and years at sea, he dedicated his time and talent to Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Columbia, VA. He and Ethel were instrumental in the research and work required to rededicate Saint Joseph’s as the Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel. He also cared for his mother until her death at age 97. Following the death of his beloved wife in June 2002, Garry spent much of his time in Aiken, SC with his daughter Geraldine “Din” Lanigan and her family where he became very involved in the Boy Scouts. He helped several young men achieve Eagle Scout, including his grandson Connor Lanigan. Garry and Ethel had three children: Garry Marshall, who died shortly after birth; Geraldine who lives with her husband Carl and son Connor in Aiken, SC; and Gerard who lives with his wife Isabel, daughter Elena and son Marc in Annapolis, MD. A truly honorable man with a sharp wit and a great sense of humor, he will be sorely missed. Funeral arrangements are being made through the Teague Funeral Home. A funeral mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Shrine of Katharine Drexel in Columbia, VA on Friday, 29 July 2016 at 11:00 AM, with a visitation beginning at 10:00 AM. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery in the fall. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital.