Lillian Katherine (Harrison) Berry, 100, of Greenfield, left this earth and stepped into heaven on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Lillian was born to Charles A. and Mary Rose (Likens) Harrison of Henderson, Ky., on Jan. 13, 1915.
She had just celebrated her 100th birthday with a large gathering of family and friends a little more than a week earlier.
She was the second to the oldest of ten children. At the age of six, she moved to Indianapolis, where she lived most the rest of her life. She attended Washington H.S. and Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.
She married Edward H. Berry on April 12, 1935, and they had 3 children with one child, Timothy, who died at birth.
Prior to marriage she worked as a weaver at the Indiana Bleaching Company. During World War II, she started working for the Eli Lilly and Company as a packer, and moved her way up to inspector and then into the lab as a technician at the McCarty Street facility. She worked at Lilly’s for close to 30 years, retiring in the 1970s.
Upon retirement, she took up her lifelong passion to paint. She took classes at the John Herron School of Art and then the Indianapolis Art League (now the Indianapolis Art Center). She became an accomplished artist in painting and drawing, specializing in portraits using oils. She won several prizes with her artwork in competitions, including Best of Show at an Indianapolis Art League Competition.
Lillian also became a world traveler, visiting Europe, the Middle East, the Orient and Hawaii on several occasions. She enjoyed these trips with her many siblings and friends.
In her later years, she was an avid reader, and enjoyed biographies and fiction stories. She also spent a considerable time with her family, and was very supportive of their endeavors and rarely missed a dance recital, a play performance, a band concert or a special ceremony for her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends.
She is survived by her children, Charles W. (Margret Ann) Berry of Plainfield and Diane Berry Cook of Greenfield; grandchildren, Brigette Cook (Brandon) Jones of Greenfield, Rhonda Cook of New Palestine, and Christa Cook (Ronnie) Riggs of Greenfield; two brothers, David (Edell) Harrison of Indianapolis, and James (Barbara) Harrison of Florida. Lillian also has four great-grandchildren; three great-stepgrandchildren, and three great-great-stepgrandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; one child and seven siblings, Bertha (Harrison) White, Wilbur Harrison, Agnes Harrison, Freddie Harrison, Susie Harrison, Annie (Harrison) Dawson Dunaway, and Mabel (Harrison) Hancock.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, at Crown Hill Funeral Home and Mortuary, 700 West 38th Street, Indianapolis with the funeral services to begin at 1 p.m. presided by Pastor Rod Abram of the Westland Friends Church of Greenfield. Burial will follow immediately at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Westland Friends Church, Greenfield, Ind.
