Sharon Kathleen Berry

One of Lorton Library’s outstanding volunteers has passed away.
Sharon Kathleen Berry was born in Oregon on February 22,1949 to Stanley and Kathleen Diebele. She was raised in Portland, Oregon an attended high school there. She met and then married Patrick Berry whom she later divorced. She gave birth to her son, Michael Berry on July 25, 1969 and on January 9, 1973 she gave birth to her daughter, Erica Berry (Relford).
In 1979 Sharon moved her family to Lorton, Virginia. In 1981 she moved her family to Woodbridge, Virginia where she would reside until her death on July 14, 2019.
Shortly after moving to Woodbridge, Sharon started her career with AARP. She worked her way up to a supervisor position in the fulfillment department. She would work there up until her retirement.
Sharon loved to take walks around her neighborhood as well as around her place of employment. She enjoyed being outside. She also loved finding good bargains at local thrift shops. She especially enjoyed finding anything to do with the Royal Family and collected commemorative cups and books. She would often go shopping with friends and enjoyed the time she would spend with them. She may not have been a social butterfly, but she was well known and was called either Grandma or Nanny by most of the children in her neighborhood.
A big believer of helping others, she could often be found secretly purchasing the meal of a stranger at the restaurants she would patronize. Sharon was always very generous, she appreciated people who were good to her.
Sharon loved to read. Pink was her favorite color and she loved it when given pink carnations, her favorite flower. She loved to travel and has visited Ireland, London, Europe, Scotland, Italy and Germany. Her trip to Germany was especially meaningful since her father had immigrated to the United States from Germany.
Christmas will never be the same without her. She had such a joyful, childlike love of all the holiday festivities. It was a joy to spend the Christmas holidays with her.
Small but mighty, everyone who knew her benefited from who she was.
Sharon is survived by her son Michael, his children, Nathaniel, Emma, Nicholas and their mother Becky Deshazo. Her daughter Erica and her husband Carl Relford (whom she was very close to) and their children Xavier and Kathleen DeVoy. Xavier’s fiancée Lydia McCorkindale and their child, Juniper Kathleen DeVoy.
She is also survived by Aunt Colleen Caraher and her nieces Darcy, Theresa (Jim) and Wendy. As well as close friends Dan and Kathy Card and family, Lasetta and John Green and family, Denny and Shirley Fischer and family, Margrit Smith, Cher Terry, Susan Wood and all her friends at Lorton Library and Sentara Hospital where she was also a volunteer.