Jean Aileen Mischel Berry

Jean Aileen (Mischel) Berry of Bradenton, FL peacefully passed away while taking a nap on her favorite sofa on July 17, 2025 with her loving family close at hand. Known as Jeannie (or Gran) to those who loved her most, she was born in Owensboro, KY on September 24, 1946 to the late Andrew George and Lucille Theiss Mischel. As the adorable and sweet sixth child of the Mischel brood, Jeannie always enjoyed her role as baby of the family. She graduated from Owensboro Catholic High School in 1964 and attended Brescia College. It was at OCHS where she met her loving husband of 58 years, William David Berry. The high school sweethearts married in May 1967 and started their family. Their life together was rich in love and family. While career opportunities saw the family move around the country from KY to MA to NC to AR, Owensboro always remained her home. The love, togetherness, faith, and steady support of family always remained a constant, and no matter the changes in latitude over the years, her devout Catholic faith always remained the center focus of her life.

In 2013, Jeannie and David retired to Bradenton, FL and lived down the street from their oldest son Jeff and his family. Jeannie and David enjoyed an active Florida lifestyle and Jeannie particularly enjoyed playing bridge with her incredible group of friends at River Strand Golf and Country Club. She and David also cherished time with her dear brother & sister-in-law, Mike & Patty Berry who also lived full time in Riverstrand as well as brother & sister-in-law Dick & Janet Berry, who wintered for several years in the same community.

Coming from a very large family, caring for others came natural to Jeannie. Her home was often filled with children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, & everyone’s friends enjoying her one of kind hospitality. Even during her 7 ½ year battle with Stage 4 Cancer, she never skipped a beat. Whether it was putting your favorite meal on the table when you came for a visit, praying a novena to help you through a difficult time, or making sure you got your butter crunch and divinity at Christmas, you always knew you were thought of and loved by Jeannie…and somehow, she always managed to look absolutely beautiful and stylish doing it!

Her greatest joy was raising her children, then getting to dote on her grandchildren. Over the years, she made sure she created core memories with her children and their friends, like painting cookie ornaments & stringing popcorn and cranberries, with many made treasures decorating Christmas trees to this day. Jeannie was the ultimate supporter of her children & grandchildren’s activities, attending literally thousands of sporting events, cheering loud at every game. There was no bigger fan than Jeannie, but she held her children & grandchildren to high expectations. It was ok not to be the best, but it was absolutely unacceptable not to try your best; a legacy that remains with each of them.

Jeannie was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew George & Lucille Mischel, her sisters Judy Rector and Rose Marie Savage, her brothers Bobby & Billy Mischel, and her son-in-law Greg Howell. She is survived by her oldest sister Patty Donahue, her sons, Jeff Berry (Sarah) and Brent Berry (Holly), her daughter Emily Howell, her grandchildren, Ava, Jax, Max, Clark, Whitney and Uriah, and a myriad of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Also, special thanks to Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez, Dr. Mihaela Druta and Dr. Fadi Kayali for their care of Jeannie through her long journey. In addition to their compassion and medical expertise, the significant scientific advancements in the treatment of cancer allowed Jeannie to thrive and live life to the fullest until her very last breath.

A funeral mass will be held at 12:00 p.m., Friday, August 8, 2025 at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro, KY with an internment to follow at Elmwood Cemetery.  Care by Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Jeannie’s name to the V Foundation for Cancer Research at v.org/donate

Memories and condolences for the family may be given by visiting www.glenncares.com